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At. 


Recollections  of 
a  Traveller 


BY 

EMMA  J.  BARTOL 


PRINTED  PRIVATELY 
PHILADELPHIA,  igo6 


Presi  of 

Innei  &   Soni 

Philadelphia 


PREFATORY  NOTE. 


HE  PREPARATION  of  this 
volume  of  my  life  and  travels 
was  finished  as  I  entered  upon 
my  eighty-fifth  year.  The  man- 
uscript was  given  to  the  printer 
in  the  summer  of  my  eighty- 
sixth-year,  with  some  of  my 
sketches  and  paintings  for  reproduction. 

This  record  of  some  of  the  chief  events  of  my  long 
life  being  now  in  permanent  form,  I  place  it  in  the  hands 
of  my  children,  grandchildren  and  friends,  that  they  may 
through  these  pages  share  some  of  the  enjoyable  exper- 
iences I  have  had  in  my  various  travels  and  observations 
in  nearly  all  parts  of  the  world.  Those  who  are  fortunate 
enough  to  travel  through  the  many  lands  I  have  visited, 
and  to  observe  for  themselves  the  customs,  arts  and  state 
of  civilization  of  different  peoples,  will,  I  trust,  find 
pleasure  in  comparing  notes  with  the  traveller  of  an 
early  day. 

Emma  J.   Bartol. 


December,  1906. 


TO 
MY  CHILDREN  AND  GRANDCHILDREN 
THIS  VOLUME 
IS  AFFECTIONATELY  DEDICATED 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  A 
TRAVELLER 


CHAPTER  I. 

My  ancestors,  on  both  the  paternal  and  maternal 
sides,  were  Welsh,  but  both  families  had  been  settled 
in  England  for  several  generations  before  I  was  born. 
Almost  without  exception  the  men  belonged  to  the 
professions  and  the  army,  possessed  ample  means,  com- 
manded influence  and  had  the  respect  of  the  community 
in  which  they  resided.  My  father's  ancestry  has  recently 
been  traced  back  by  a  geneologist  to  Thomas  Welchman 
of  Deddington,  county  of  Oxford,  who  was  born  in  1495 
and  died  in  1548.  My  paternal  grandfather's  great 
grandfather  was  Edward  Welchman,  Arch-deacon  of 
Cardigan  in  Wales,  who  revised  the  Thirty-nine  Articles 
of  the  English  Book  of  Common  Prayer.  His  monu- 
ment may  be  seen  in  the  church  at  Solihull  with  others 
of  the  family.  He  was  born  in  1664  and  died  in  1739. 
That  a  number  of  my  ancestors  remained  in  Wales  was 
shown  by  the  fact  that  when  one  of  my  aunts  visited 
there,  she  sat  down  to  dinner  with  eighteen  cousins.  A 
curious  family  seal  of  wrought  iron  is  still  in  existence, 
three  seals  in  one,  with  a  Greek  motto,  "  Through  the 
Straight  Gate." 

My  two  grandfathers,  Edward  Welchman  and  Philip 
Williams,  were  physicians  and  surgeons  in  that  part  of 
England  now  known  by  the  comprehensive  name  of 
"  The    Shakespeare    Country,"    the  .  one    at    Kineton, 


4  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

Warwickshire,  the  other  at  Rugby.  English  children 
a  century  ago  always  used  the  terms  "  papa"  and 
"  mamma,"  instead  of  father  and  mother.  Grandpapa 
and  grandmamma  Welchman  had  nine  children,  Thomas, 
Edward,  Frederick,  Charles,  John,  Eliza,  Mary,  Caroline 
and  a  daughter  who  died  when  very  young.  Thomas 
died  while  a  student  at  a  medical  college  in  Edinburgh  ; 
Edward,  (my  father),  after  taking  his  degree  at  the  same 
college,  became  a  physician  ;  Frederick  was  a  major  in 
the  British  Army  ;  Charles,  a  surgeon  in  the  army  ;  John, 
a  major  general  in  the  East  India  Service;  Eliza  married 
Dr.  Hamilton  ;  Mary  married  a  Mr.  King,  a  lawyer ; 
and  Caroline  married  his  brother,  Dr.  Tragonnel  King. 

Major  Frederick  Welchman,  my  godfather,  never 
married.  His  commission  having  been  bought  by  one 
of  his  brother  officers,  he  returned  for  a  visit  to  England. 
While  out  hunting  with  a  little  nephew  he  offered  him 
his  gun  to  help  him  over  a  ditch ;  the  child  accidentally 
seized  the  trigger  and  shot  his  uncle  through  the  heart. 
Dr.  Charles  had  several  children  born  in  India  whom  he 
sent  to  England  to  be  educated.  One  of  these,  Fred- 
erick, came  with  my  father  to  the  United  States,  married 
and  lived  and  died  at  Rahway,  N.  J.  Major  general 
John  had  children  born  in  India,  and  others  born  in 
England ;  but  the  removal  of  my  father  and  his  family 
to  the  United  States,  and  the  infrequent  communication 
of  those  early  days,  caused  me  to  lose  trace  of  them.  I 
have  learned,  however,  that  most  of  the  men  went  into 
the  army  and  the  legal  and  medical  professions,  as  their 
fathers  had  done. 

Grandpapa  and  grandmamma  Williams  had  a  family 


EMMA    J.   BAR  TO L 


of  six  children — Fanny,  Jemima,  Philip,  John,  Sophia 
and  one  who  died  when  young.  Fanny  married  a 
lawyer,  James  Sculthorpe,  and  lived  in  Hinckley.  After 
the  death  of  Mr.  Sculthorpe,  Aunt  Fanny  and  her 
daughter  Fanny  stayed  with  us  at  Kineton,  until  cousin 
Fanny  married  the  Rev.  Mr.  Lewis,  a  Welsh  minister 
who  lived  in  Wales,  and  her  mother  married  again. 

Jemima  was  my  mother.  Sophia  died  of  consump- 
tion early  in  life,  Philip  and  John  became  physicians. 
John  was  much  spoiled  by  his  mother,  who  had  a  most 
affectionate  nature  and  was  devotedly  attached  to  her 
children.  Among  the  incidents  told  of  John  in  his  boy- 
hood I  remember  this  one  :  A  hare  was  to  be  cooked 
for  dinner,  and  the  servant — no  one  being  at  home — 
came  into  the  parlor  and  asked  Master  John  whether  it 
was  to  be  cooked  "  fegged  wet,"  or  "  fegged  dry?"  He 
not  wishing  to  be  thought  ignorant,  answered,  "Oh, 
fegged  dry  to  be  sure."  Whereupon  at  dinner  time  the 
hare  was  brought  to  the  table  roasted  with  the  skin  on 
and  the  fur  only  singed  off. 

The  marriage  of  my  parents  came  about  in  this 
way  :  Jemima  Williams,  of  Rugby,  and  my  father's 
sisters,  Eliza,  Mary  and  Caroline  Welchman,  of  Kineton, 
were  in  attendance  at  a  fashionable  boarding  school  and 
became  warm  friends.  My  aunts  soon  decided  that  it 
would  be  a  very  nice  arrangement  to  have  Jemima  spend 
the  holidays  with  them,  and  possibly  they  might  make  a 
match  between  her  and  their  brother  Edward,  who  had 
just  returned  from  college.  Perhaps  the  fact  that  Dr. 
Williams  was  in  very  good  financial  circumstances  had 
some  influence  in  the  matter,  for  money  played  a  very 


6  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

important  part  in  life  in  those  days  just  as  it  does  at  the 
present  time.  Jemima  was  a  handsome  brunette,  a 
vivacious  and  interesting  girl  ;  she  came,  saw  and  con- 
quered, and  returned  to  school  betrothed  to  the  handsome, 
blonde  physician. 

The  young  couple  were  married  at  the  Williams' 
home  in  Rugby,  May  26,  1820.  One  of  the  brides- 
maids was  Miss  Lucy  Bloxham,  niece  of  the  celebrated 
painter,  Sir  Thomas  Lawrence.  I  remember,  when  vis- 
iting the  Bloxham  home  in  my  young  days,  seeing  the 
family  portraits  painted  by  him.  Grandpapa  Williams 
was  a  thorough  gentleman  of  the  old  school. 

As  papa  was  just  beginning  to  practice  it  was  neces- 
sary to  give  the  young  people  a  start  in  life,  and  so  ante- 
marriage  settlements  were  made.  The  papers  were 
drawn  up  by  my  father's  cousin,  Welchman  Whately,  a 
lawyer,  and  they  provided  that  Dr.  Welchman  and  Dr. 
Williams  should  each  pay  a  stated  sum  quarterly  to  help 
maintain  the  new  household.  A  pretty  house  was  taste- 
fully furnished  at  Kineton,  and  the  young  couple  started 
life  under  very  favorable  conditions.  It  soon  became 
evident,  however,  that  grandpapa  Welchman  would  not 
be  able  to  keep  his  part  of  the  contract.  His  eyesight 
was  failing  very  fast,  which  of  course  affected  his  medical 
practice,  and  his  three  daughters,  who  were  noted  for 
their  beauty  and  were  fond  of  society,  kept  his  resources 
drained.  Grandpapa  Williams  called  a  family  meeting, 
and  from  that  moment  family  difficulties  and  estrange- 
ments began  which  were  never  afterwards  overcome. 

All  this  brought  the  deepest  trouble  to  the  young 
married  pair.     They  were  obliged  to  give  up  their  pretty 


EMMA  J.  BARTOL 


home,  but  as  Dr.  Edward  was  attending  to  most  of  his 
father's  former  practice,  he  was  obliged  to  remain  in 
Kineton.  So  they  took  up  their  residence  in  the  Welch- 
man  home,  a  large  and  very  old  house  of  blue  limestone 
which  had  been  added  to  by  succeeding  generations  until 
there  were  many  rooms  of  different  styles  of  architecture. 
Here  their  first  child,  myself,  was  born,  April  2,  1821. 
Financial  and  other  troubles  had  so  affected  my  mother 
that  she  had  little  strength  left  for  this  ordeal.  Grand- 
mamma Welchman  was  an  unfeeling  and  indifferent 
woman  even  to  her  own  children  and  doubly  so  to  the 
daughter-in-law.  When  grandmamma  Williams  finally 
was  summoned  she  found  her  favorite  daughter  in  almost 
a  dying  condition.  She  was  so  shocked  and  the  matter 
so  preyed  upon  her  mind  that  it  seriously  impaired  her 
reason.  Mamma  never  fully  regained  her  health  but 
was  a  semi-invalid  all  the  rest  of  her  life. 

When  she  had  sufficiently  recovered,  a  house  near 
by  was  rented  and  we  moved  into  it.  My  parents  had 
nine  children.  All  of  these  children  were  born  in  Kine- 
ton, England,  except  the  last  which  was  born  in  New 
York  City.  They  were  Emma  Jemima,  Edward,  Mary, 
Isabel,  Louisa,  Arthur  Pendry,  Clara  (who  died  at  birth), 
Helen  Fanny,  and  a  boy  who  died  when  two  weeks  old. 
Eventually  grandpapa  Welchman  became  totally  blind 
and  papa  took  his  entire  practice.  Grandpapa  and  grand- 
mamma moved  to  Bath  on  account  of  the  medicinal 
waters,  and  spent  the  rest  of  their  lives  there. 

I  must  have  been  about  eight  years  old  when  we 
moved  into  my  grandfather's  house,  and  the  event  made 
a  strong  impression  on  my  mind.      I  had  a  little  box  on 


S  RECOLLECTIONS   OF  A  TRAVELLER 

wheels  with  a  rope  to  pull  it  and  did  my  share  of  the 
moving.  My  impromptu  wagon  was  filled  with  flower 
pots  and  saucers  to  transport  to  our  new  home.  As  I 
was  taking  them  out  and  placing  them  in  the  hall,  my 
foot  caught  in  the  rope  and  I  fell  and  broke  a  flower  pot 
and  cut  my  finger  badly.  I  was  so  afraid  of  being  pun- 
ished that  1  put  my  finger  in  my  mouth  to  hide  the 
blood,  went  to  the  front  door  and  tried  to  look  uncon- 
cerned. Papa's  assistant  came  along  and  seeing  me 
ghastly  pale  said,  "Why  Emma,  what  is  the  matter  ?" 
In  order  to  answer  I  was  obliged  to  pull  my  finger  out 
my  mouth,  and  then  I  fainted  away.  I  knew  nothing 
more  until  I  found  myself  on  the  surgery  counter  with 
papa  and  the  assistant  bending  over  me  and  binding  up 
the  finger  which  was  cut  the  full  length  to  the  bone. 
When  people  commiserated  me,  I  laughed  and  said, 
"Oh  !  now  I  can't  write  or  do  my  sums  and  I  shall  have 
a  holiday." 

The  old  house  was  a  long,  rambling  affair,  the  busi- 
ness part  entirely  separate  from  the  living  rooms.  In 
the  former  was  a  library,  surgery,  drug  store,  etc.,  for  in 
those  days  physicians  always  compounded  their  own 
prescriptions.  Papa  always  had  an  assistant  to  help  in 
this  part  of  the  business.  As  a  great  favor,  I  was  some- 
times allowed  to  go  into  the  drug  store  and  assist  in  mak- 
ing pills,  boluses  and  tinctures,  but  I  never  got  so  far  as 
blisters  and  plasters.  In  the  patient's  waiting  room  there 
hung  a  very  large  chart  of  the  figure  of  a  human  being, 
with  all  the  blood  vessels  painted  red  and  the  muscles 
yellow  ;  among  my  early  recollections  is  that  of  a  woman 
waiting  for  a  prescription  to  be  filled  who  kept  eyeing 


EMMA  J.  BARTOL 


this  chart,  and  who  at  last  exclaimed,  "  What  a  wonder- 
derful  flower  that  is  !"  Another  recollection  is  that  of  a 
young  girl  who  came  for  advice  and  had  a  toad  sewed  in 
a  bag  and  hung  around  her  neck ;  she  believed  when  the 
toad  died  she  would  get  well.  It  was  believed  by  some 
that  if  there  was  a  certain  kind  of  sickness  in  the  family, 
some  one  must  draw  blood  of  the  first  person  who  called 
and  put  a  black  cat  in  the  oven.  These  and  other  super- 
stitions still  prevail  in  the  country  districts  of  England. 


io  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 


CHAPTER  II. 

Kineton  in  Warwickshire,  ten  miles  from  Warwick, 
was  originally  called  Kingstown,  from  a  tradition  that 
King  John  once  lived  there ;  I  remember  a  well  of 
beautiful,  clear  water,  encircled  by  lofty  elms,  which 
is  still  known  as  "King  John's  Well."  The  town  was  a 
sleepy  little  place,  and  its  only  attractive  feature  was 
a  fine  Gothic  church  said  to  have  been  built  by  the  an- 
cient Saxons.  This  was  surrounded  by  a  large  burying 
ground  which  was  crossed  by  footpaths,  for  the  town 
had  grown  around  it  and  the  people  regarded  it  as  they 
would  a  park,  the  children  of  the  poor  using  it  as  a  play- 
ground. In  this  churchyard  was  our  family  vault,  and 
the  church  itself  contained  monuments  to  the  Welchmans. 

Our  house  was  on  the  opposite  corner  from  the  church 
and  on  another  corner  was  the"  Red  Lion  Inn."  There 
was  a  market  place  but  it  was  neverused  except  on  Mopday. 
This  was  to  Kineton  what  Fairday  was  to  other  towns,  the 
great  event  in  the  year.  People  flocked  into  the  town 
from  all  the  country  round ;  amusements  of  every  kind 
were  going  on,  booths  and  merry-go-rounds,  shows  of 
all  sorts.  The  most  important  feature  was  that  every- 
body who  owed  a  bill  was  expected  to  come  and  pay  it 
on  Mopday.  The  name  Mopday  was  doubtless  due 
to  the  fact  that  it  took  place  in  the  middle  of  October, 
when  the  weather  was  generally  rainy  and  dirty,  requir- 
ing the  frequent  mopping  of  the  stone  halls  on  account  of 
the  muddy  boots  of  the  farmers  and  country  people.  It 
was  the  custom  to  "treat"  all  who  paid  their  bills  and 
great  were  the  preparations  for  those  who  came  to  pay  my 


EMMA  J.   BARTOL  ji 

father.  He  brewed  his  own  ale,  porter  and  beer  long 
beforehand;  my  mother  made  cowslip,  elderberry  and 
raisin  wines ;  immense  quartern  loaves  of  bread  were 
baked  ;  rounds  of  boiled  corn  beef  and  sirloin  roasts 
were  prepared  ;  big  tables  were  loaded ;  casks  were 
tapped,  and  on  Mopday  the  liquors  flowed  like  water. 

I  had  no  companions  of  my  own  age  except  the 
children  of  one  family,  that  of  Lady  Elizabeth  Boultbee. 
We  were  allowed  to  visit  only  on  festal  occasions,  such 
as  birthdays,  but  there  was  every  facility  for  enjoyment 
in  my  own  home.  At  the  back  of  our  house  was  a  beau- 
tiful garden,  half  an  acre  in  extent,  the  backs  of  the  neigh- 
boring houses  forming  its  boundary,  and  these  were  en- 
tirely hidden  by  our  trees  and  thick  shrubbery.  A  long 
row  of  French  roses  crossed  the  garden,  the  flowers  of 
which  were  used  in  the  preparation  of  tinctures,  and  one 
of  my  duties  was  to  gather  the  buds  and  lay  the  leaves 
on  trays  to  be  dried  in  the  ovens.  On  one  side  stood  a 
large  grotto  paved  with  pebbles,  the  walls  encrusted  with 
sea  shells  and  moss.  In  the  centre  was  a  big  stone  table, 
hexagon  in  shape,  which  originally  belonged  to  Oliver 
Cromwell,  and  was  large  enough  for  a  dozen  persons  to 
sit  around  it.  The  roof  was  thatched  with  straw  and  across 
the  open  front  were  pillars  covered  with  climbing  roses 
and  clematis.  The  back  had  seats  all  around  and  a  great 
yew  tree  overhung  the  whole  arbor.  My  favorite  haunt 
was  this  old  yew  tree,  into  which  I  climbed,  pretending 
to  be  a  crow,  and  built  nests  with  smooth  round  pebbles 
for  eggs. 

Papa's  practice  as  a  physician  and  surgeon  extended 
to  the  adjacent  villages  and  farms,  which  obliged  him  to 


12  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

make  his  round  of  visits  on  horseback  every  day  and 
frequently  at  night  in  cases  of  emergency.  For  this  pur- 
pose he  kept  a  large  stud  of  horses.  I  was  a  daring 
rider  and  was  frequently  the  first  of  my  sex  to  back  new 
ones.  I  commenced  quite  early  to  go  with  papa  on  his 
visits.  One  day  he  bought  a  pretty,  young  donkey  for 
my  use  and  had  it  properly  broken  to  the  saddle  and 
trained,  without  submitting  it  to  the  cruel  treatment 
donkeys  usually  received,  taking  all  the  spirit  out  of 
them.  Whenever  it  was  suitable  papa  took  me  with  him 
on  his  visits  to  near-by  villages.  My  donkey  never 
would  allow  papa's  horse  to  go  ahead  of  him,  but  would 
put  his  ears  back  and  go  on  a  mad  gallop  until  he  had 
passed  by,  and  I,  almost  breathless,  would  call  back, 
"  Oh  !  pray  stop,  papa,  I  cannot  go  so  fast."  He  was 
so  badly  treated  by  a  veterinary  surgeon  afterwards  that 
he  was  ruined  and  would  not  allow  anyone  to  saddle  or 
go  near  him.  He  became  so  savage  he  was  unsafe  for 
us.  One  day  we  all  went  out  for  a  walk.  The  man  had 
finally  succeeded  in  putting  on  a  saddle  but  the  donkey 
got  loose  and  tore  down  the  lane  toward  us.  We  hap- 
pened to  catch  sight  of  him,  stirrups  flying,  ears  erect, 
mouth  wide  open,  nostrils  extended,  the  whites  of  his 
eyes  showing.  Fortunately  we  were  close  to  a  field  with 
a  thick  hedge  and  we  flew  over  a  gate  helter  skelter  and 
none  too  soon.  The  donkey  looked  over  the  five-barred 
gate  and  brayed,  enraged  and  disappointed,  and  explored 
the  hedge  which  fortunately  was  a  good  one.  That  was 
the  last  of  him  for  us  ;  papa  sold  him  to  some  men  from 
London. 

My  love  of  animals  was  very  early  engendered.      I 


EMMA  J.   BARTOL  13 

had  the  entire  charge  of  caring  for  a  number  of  tame 
rabbits.  The  pure  white  ones  had  pink  eyes,  some  were 
spotted  black  and  white,  and  all  had  names.  One  very 
large  gray  one,  called  Rumbo,  was  a  special  favorite  and 
I  frequently  took  him  into  the  sitting  room.  When 
anything  annoyed  him  he  would  express  his  displeasure 
by  thumps  with  his  hind  feet,  and  occasionally  he  would 
come  to  our  knees  and  put  up  his  paws,  sitting  on  his 
hind  legs  like  a  little  dog.  We  children  had  to  hunt  in 
the  garden  for  food  for  our  pets  ;  they  were  very  fond  of 
cabbage,  lettuce  leaves,  a  weed  called  sow  thistle  and 
green  oats. 

Other  pets  were  a  pair  of  very  small  game  bantams, 
kept  in  the  garden,  which  they  scratched  but  little  and 
where  they  were  useful  in  destroying  the  insects.  They 
had  a  pretty  box  to  live  in,  painted  like  a  cottage  and 
lined  with  hay  ;  but  at  the  nesting  period  they,  like  all 
other  birds,  preferred  to  look  about  and  select  their  own 
nest.  One  day  I  found  them  going  up  stairs,  step  by 
step,  and  I  watched  them  go  into  the  bedrooms,  under 
the  beds  and  into  the  closets,  clucking  and  clucking,  evi- 
cently  canvassing  over  the  merits  of  the  various  localities 
for  raising  a  distinguished  bantam  family.  The  garden 
was  separated  from  the  barnyard  and  stables  by  a  high 
fence  and  a  heavy  swinging  gate  with  ball  and  chain. 
One  day  I  found  the  male  bantam  having  a  fierce  fight 
with  the  large  barn -yard  cock.  I  tried  in  vain  to  sep- 
arate them.  At  last  I  opened  the  heavy  gate  leading  to 
the  garden,  at  the  same  time  trying  to  drive  the  two 
bantams  through  it,  but  just  as  the  little  couple  were  half- 
way through,  the  plucky  fellow  turned  to  give  one  more 


14  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

crow  of  defiance  to  the  big  barnyard  fowl,  and  alas,  the 
heavy  gate  swung  to  and  caught  and  crushed  his  head. 
The  agony  I  endured,  feeling  that  in  a  certain  sense  I 
was  to  blame  for  my  little  favorite's  death,  is  still  a  pain- 
ful memory. 

I  was  very  fond  of  cats,  of  which  we  had  a  number, 
some  of  them  handsomest  I   ever  saw.     One  was  beau- 
tifully marked  like  a  tortoise  shell  on  the  back,  with  snow 
white  breast  and  feet  and   was   very  docile  and  gentle. 
She  used  to  go  to  bed  with  me  in  the  long  winter  nights 
and  kept  me  warm.     I  was  visiting  one  day  a  patient  of 
papa's  who  had  a  rabbit  warren.     I  was  so  amused  and 
interested  in  the  little  bunnies  that  the  owner  said  "  you 
may  take  home  as  many  as  you  can  catch."     I  watched 
a  mother  leave  her  burrow  and  then,  putting   my  hand 
down  into  the  hole  brought  up  four  dear,  little,  soft,  gray 
bunnies.     I  held  up  my  frock,  deposited  my  treasures 
in  it,  walked  in  triumph  to  show  them  to  my  hostess  and 
took  them  home.      Fortunately  my  pet  tabby  had  four 
kittens  about  the  same  size  and  we  thought  that  if  the 
kittens  were  taken  away    she    might   raise  the    rabbits. 
The    experiment  was   made    and,    sure   enough,    pussy 
mothered  them.     What    passed    through    her    mind    I 
never  knew,  but  when  the   rabbits   began   to  get  out  of 
their  box  and  hop  around  it   was  laughable   to   see   her 
astonishment  at  her  little  gray  children,  who  hopped  and 
hopped,  showing  their  snow-white  tails,  while  she  watched 
with  disgust,  following  and  striking  them  with  her  paw. 

A  black  cat  that  lived  in  the  stable  had  imbibed 
bad  morals.  One  spring  I  had  watched  with  much 
interest  a  goldfinch  and  his  mate  build  a  nest  in  a  pear 


EMM  J  J.  BARTOL  15 

tree  in  the  garden  and,  when  it  was  time  for  the  young 
ones  to  leave  the  nest,  I  placed  it  in  a  cage  and  hung  the 
cage  in  the  tree  where  the  nest  had  been.  The  old  birds 
fed  the  young  ones  for  some  time  and  then  I  took  care 
of  them.  They  proved  to  be  very  handsome  and  I  kept 
them  in  the  parlor,  but  cleaning  day  came  and  the  win- 
dows and  doors  were  all  opened.  When  I  went  to  the 
cage,  the  beak  of  the  handsomest  bird  was  torn  off  and 
it  had  to  be  killed.  That  dreadful  black  cat  from  the 
stable  had  leaped  upon  the  cage  and  done  the  deed. 

We  children  were  accustomed  to  take  long  walks 
of  two  or  three  hours  every  day.  Once  in  going 
through  a  wood  I  found  a  mother  hedgehog  and  eight 
little  ones  and  determined  to  take  them  home.  The 
mother,  immediately  on  being  touched,  rolled  herself 
into  a  round  ball.  The  eight  little  ones  were  about  the 
size  of  a  small  orange ;  they  had  no  bristles,  but  were 
covered  with  a  slate  colored  skin  which  showed  incipient 
bristles  underneath  and  they  were  blind  like  little  kittens. 
To  take  the  mother  was  somewhat  of  a  conundrum  as 
she  stuck  out  her  bristles  in  every  direction.  At  last  I 
laid  my  frock  on  the  ground,  we  rolled  her  in  as  best  we 
could  with  sticks,  and  I  took  Mrs.  Hedgehog  home  in 
triumph  while  the  others  carried  the  little  ones.  We 
deposited  them  all  in  the  green-house,  where  there  was  a 
supply  of  insects,  and  gave  them  a  saucer  of  milk  daily. 
As  they  grew  we  put  them  in  the  garden  ;  they  all  dis- 
appeared but  one,  which  remained  for  a  long  while  and 
became  so  tame  that  he  would  put  all  his  bristles  down 
flat  for  me  to  pet  and  stroke  him. 

We    always    had    dogs.      Pincher,    a    wiry    Scotch 


16  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

terrier,  lived  in  a  kennel  and  protected  the  yard.  A  new 
puppy  came  and  was  full  of  mischief;  one  day  we  heard 
a  bump,  bump,  on  the  stairs  and  there  he  was  with  a 
large  prayer-book  in  his  mouth.  On  taking  it  from  him 
we  found  that  he  had  torn  out  the  Thirty-Nine  Articles 
of  Belief  and  ruined  the  book.  Another  pet,  a  beautiful 
Spaniel,  was  found  dead  one  morning  in  the  brewhouse 
where  some  spiteful  creature  had  given  him  "  buttered 
sponge."  How  we  children  mourned  that  faithful  friend, 
who  accompanied  us  on  all  our  country  tramps  !  All 
this  was  seventy-five  years  ago  and  the  memory  is  fresh 
as  if  it  were  but  yesterday. 

How  well  do  I  remember  my  first  long  visit  away 
from  home.  After  all  the  exciting  preparations  were 
over,  I  was  at  last  dressed  for  travelling  and  my  little 
box,  neatly  packed,  stood  ready  in  the  hall.  The  toot- 
ing of  a  horn  and  the  neighing  of  four  spirited  horses 
announced  the  arrival  of  the  Royal  Mail  Coach  from 
London.  Down  sprang  the  coachman  and  threw  the 
reins  to  the  hostlers  ;  then  down  jumped  the  guard,  both 
dressed  in  scarlet  with  gold  trimmings.  All  was  astir  at 
the  Red  Lion  Inn  just  opposite  our  house.  The  hostlers 
brought  out  four  fresh  horses  to  take  the  places  of  the 
tired  animals.  The  coach  door  was  opened  and  I  was 
lifted  in  to  take  my  first  journey  at  ten  years  of  age.  I 
was  going  to  make  a  visit  to  my  godmother,  Miss  Mar- 
garet Whately,  who  lived  with  her  mother  and  sister 
Octavia  at  Edgebaston  Hall  near  Birmingham. 

Arriving  in  the  city,  the  guard,  in  whose  care  I  had 
been  placed,  came  to  the  coach  door  and  lifted  me  out. 
On  alighting  I  spied  my  modest  box  sitting  in  the  court 


EMMA  J.  BARTOL  17 

yard,  and  immediately  went  and  sat  down  on  it,  resolved 
that  no  one  should  take  it  out  of  my  sight.  I  then  told 
the  guard  the  name  of  the  people  I  was  to  visit  and,  find- 
ing no  one  came  for  me,  he  kindly  took  my  hand  and 
we  walked  off.  Fortunately  for  me  my  cousin,  Welch- 
man  Whateley,  was  the  Coroner  of  Birmingham  and  well 
known  ;  the  guard  delivered  me  safely  at  his  house, 
much  to  the  astonishment  of  all,  as  the  letters  had  mis- 
carried and  no  word  of  my  coming  had  reached  him  or 
my  godmother.  My  cousin  kept  bachelor's  hall  in  a  fine 
location  called  Snow  Hill,  and  although  in  the  middle  of 
the  city  it  had  a  large  garden.  The  only  person  to  greet 
me  at  first  was  the  housekeeper.  However,  she  soon 
made  me  feel  at  home  and  in  the  evening  she  took  me 
with  her  to  do  some  shopping  in  the  town.  To  this 
day  I  recollect  my  wonder  and  astonishment  at  seeing 
the  streets  and  shops  ablaze  with  the  light  of  lamps  and 
the  crowd  of  people  jostling  each  other  and  hurrying  to 
and  fro  as  in  broad  daylight.  To  me,  even  as  a  child,  it 
was  an  inspiring  sight,  the  lights  gleaming  from  the  shop- 
keepers' windows  diffusing  a  golden  glow  along  the 
streets.  Later  I  was  taken  to  my  godmother's  beautiful 
home,  and  returned  in  the  spring  to  find  our  family 
increased  by  a  new  sister. 

Another  interesting  recollection  is  of  the  long  visits 
to  my  Grandpapa  Williams',  my  mother's  home.  He 
lived  in  Rugby,  since  become  famous  through  the  story 
of  "  Tom  Brown's  Schooldays",  and  as  the  scene  of  a 
novel  called  "  Mugby  Junction".  Grandpapa  was  then 
a  physician  with  a  large  practice.  The  town  was  noted 
for  its  school  for  boys,  and  at  the   time    I   used   to   visit 


1 8  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

there  Dr.  Arnold  was  the  Head  Master.  I  remember 
him  well,  and  also  his  children.  To  the  pupils  he  was 
indeed  teacher,  monitor,  friend,  inspiration,  and  he  ever 
showed  a  sympathy  which  was  intense,  personal,  sincere 
and  constant.  Many  of  the  townspeople  took  pupils  to 
board.  Grandpapa  had  a  large  number,  but  as  they  had 
separate  accommodations,  refectory,  dormitories,  studies, 
and  play-yard  entirely  apart  from  the  house  we  saw  hardly 
anything  of  them.  Each  student  furnished  his  own  study 
according  to  his  means  and  tastes  and  I  was  occasionally 
taken  to  visit  the  studies.  The  campus  was  a  short  walk 
from  grandpapa's  house  and  was  surrounded  by  lofty 
elms  in  which  the  rooks  built  their  nests  year  after  year 
undisturbed,  and  here  the  boys  played  cricket. 

The  system  of  hazing  was  in  vogue  with  all  its  cruel 
barbarities  and  an  event  happened  during  one  of  my 
visits  which  made  a  deep  impression  on  me.  A  young 
boy  arrived  from  home  and  was  assigned  to  grandpapa. 
In  the  night  the  big  boys  arranged  to  give  him  the  usual 
welcome.  They  procured  an  immense  white  turnip, 
hollowed  it  out  and  cut  a  jagged  slit  for  the  mouth  and 
holes  for  eyes.  This,  with  a  candle  inside,  they  raised 
on  a  tall  pole  covered  with  a  sheet,  having  waited  till  the 
poor  little  chap  had  fallen  into  a  sound  sleep,  probably 
the  first  he  had  ever  had  away  from  home  and  mother. 
One  of  the  boys  crawled  under  the  bed  and  heaved  it  up 
and  down  till  he  awoke,  and  looking  out  at  the  window 
he  saw  this  goblin  bobbing  up  and  down  and  grinning  at 
him.  In  the  morning  the  poor  little  fellow  did  not  make 
fyis  appearance  and  on  some  one  being  sent  to  inquire 
why,  he  was  found  to  be  entirely  bereft  of  his  senses. 


EMM  J  J.   BARTOL  ip 


Rugby  was  a  very  pretty  little  town  and  the  society 
was  exceptionally  fine,  as  it  attracted  the  best  of  the  so- 
called  middle  classes  who  came  for  its  educational  advan- 
tages to  their  children.  In  the  winter  it  was  a  very  gay 
place.  When  my  aunts  went  to  parties,  it  was  customary 
to  have  their  hair  dressed.  One  especial  hairdresser  was 
in  great  demand  and  unless  engaged  long  in  advance 
ladies  were  obliged  to  let  him  come  at  very  inopportune 
times.  It  once  happened  that  he  came  just  as  my  aunt 
was  about  to  put  on  her  black  satin  slippers.  The  mode 
at  that  day  was  to  arrange  the  hair  in  large  bows  on  the 
top  of  the  head.  Having  completed  my  aunt's  coiffeur 
he  left  her  to  finish  her  toilette,  but  nowhere  could  one 
of  the  black  satin  slippers  be  found  and  finally  others  had 
to  be  substituted.  The  mystery  was  not  solved  until 
the  hair  was  undone  after  returning  from  the  ball,  when 
from  the  large  loop  out  tumbled  the  missing  black  satin 
slipper,  which  the  hairdresser  had  taken  as  the  handiest 
thing  to  produce  the  effect  he  desired. 

Sedan  chairs  were  then  in  vogue.  These  chairs 
were  brought  into  the  hall,  the  ladies  in  full  dress  entered 
them,  and  they  were  closed  like  a  carriage.  Two  men 
marched  off  with  the  fair  burdens  and  deposited  them  in 
the  hall  of  the  house  where  the  party  was  to  be  held, 
without  even  as  much  exposure  as  they  would  have  had 
with  a  carriage. 

Kineton  being  a  small  town  was  without  school 
advantages  and  all  sorts  of  expedients  were  resorted  to  in 
order  to  give  me  the  education  suitable  to  my  station  in 
life.  Papa,  although  he  had  a  large  and  extensive  prac- 
tice to  attend  to,  took  us  children  into  his  study  from  7 


20  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

A.  M.,  to  8  A.  M.,  and  taught  us  arithmetic,  which  was 
too  advanced  a  subject  for  the  governess.  For  music 
and  singing  lessons  I  rode  every  week  on  horseback  by 
myself,  through  rain  and  shine,  to  Stratford-on-Avon, 
ten  miles  away.  I  was  a  good  horsewoman,  had  no  fear 
and  never  had  an  accident.  The  harshness  and  even 
cruelty  practiced  toward  children  in  those  days  are  incon- 
ceivable to  those  who  live  in  the  humanitarian  present. 
The  whip,  both  at  home  and  at  school,  was  in  constant 
use,  and  even  timid  and  tender  little  girls  were  not  spared. 
My  music  teacher  was  a  very  ugly-tempered  woman  and 
constantly  rapped  my  knuckles  with  her  pencil,  and  at 
one  time,  because  she  could  not  make  me  cry  and  thought 
I  was  stubborn,  she  knocked  me  off  the  music  stool  and 
on  to  the  floor.  At  one  private  school  I  attended  I 
remember  that  the  mistress  brought  her  cook,  a  great 
strapping  woman,  into  the  schoolroom,  and  before  the 
whole  school  made  a  young  pupil  get  on  the  cook's  back, 
and  her  hands  being  held  in  front  by  the  cook,  the  mis- 
tress flogged  the  child  with  a  whip.  Dickens  did  not 
exaggerate  the  wicked  cruelties  of  English  schools. 

On  my  returning  from  the  happy  winter  spent  with 
my  godmother,  who  was  a  lovely  character  in  every 
respect,  I  had  governesses  until  I  arrived  at  the  age  of 
thirteen,  when  it  was  deemed  advisable  to  send  me  away 
from  home  to  boarding  school,  as  my  father  was  anxious 
that  I  should  be  well  educated.  At  last  a  school  was 
decided  on,  one  that  had  been  highly  recommended  to 
my  parents,  kept  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Field,  a  Unitarian 
minister,  a  Dissenter,  as  they  were  called  in  those  days, 
and  are  still.      Mr.  Field  preached  in  a  Chapel  in  War- 


EMMA  J.  BARTOL  21 

wick,  and  lived  in  a  house  on  the  river  Leam  with  his 
wife  and  his  daughters,  Laura  and  Anna.  Mr.  Field 
taught  algebra  and  the  higher  mathematics  ;  his  daugh- 
ters took  the  other  branches. 

A  new  life  opened  up  to  me  at  this  delightful  home. 
There  were  only  a  few  pupils  and  I  think  I  was  the 
youngest.  At  that  day,  as  I  have  said,  the  old  adage, 
"  Spare  the  rod  and  spoil  the  child",  was  everywhere  in 
vogue.  I  had  been  brought  up  under  this  iron  rule  and 
gone  to  the  depths  of  those  sorrows  that  children  brood 
over  and  never  forget.  In  this  blessed  school  I  found 
only  the  cheering  voice,  the  helping  hand,  and  was  taught 
affection  for  others  and  reverence  for  all  things  good. 
The  pupils  were  instructed  in  self-control  and  no  corporal 
punishment  was  permitted.  Under  this  fine,  moral 
influence  I  learned  to  love  my  teachers  and  received 
lessons  in  kindness  and  gentleness  which  were  of  the 
greatest  value  to  me  in  all  my  after  life.  We  were  gov- 
erned through  our  honor  and  not  through  fear  of  bodily 
pain.  We  were  expected  to  learn  our  lessons  so  perfectly 
that  we  need  not  look  at  them  the  day  we  recited  them, 
and  no  girl  would  break  that  rule.  It  was  a  new  and 
sweet  experience  for  others  beside  myself  and  we  all  vied 
with  each  other  to  do  our  best,  for  we  loved  and  respected 
our  teachers. 

But  this  glimpse  of  Paradise  was  brief.  It  had  been 
stipulated  that  I  was  never  to  go  to  the  Chapel  where 
Mr.  Field  preached  but  was  to  be  taken  every  Sunday  to 
the  Church  of  England,  and  this  was  always  done. 
Nevertheless  my  relatives  made  such  an  outcry  and  pro- 
test because   my    parents,  members    of  the   Established 


22  RECOLLECTIONS   OF  A  TRAVELLER 

Church,  sent  a  child  to  a  Dissenters'  school  that,  at  the 
end  of  the  first  term,  very  much  against  their  own  wishes, 
they  were  obliged  to  take  me  away.  This  almost  broke 
my  heart  for  I  never  had  been  so  happy,  and  I  always 
look  back  to  those  school  days  as  the  brightest  spot  in 
my  young  life. 

The  next  year  I  was  sent  to  a  celebrated  school  at 
Leamington  kept  by  Miss  Walker.  Here  we  were 
dressed  in  uniform  and  I  remember  that  we  had  grass 
green  merino  dresses  with  leather  slippers  to  match.  In 
the  summer  we  rose  at  6  A.  M.,  and  studied  our  lessons 
while  walking  in  the  garden  until  seven,  when  large 
dishes  of  dry  bread  were  brought  out  and  each  girl  helped 
herself.  The  rules  were  severe  and  strictly  enforced. 
We  were  allowed  twenty  minutes  for  dressing  and  putting 
everything  in  order  ;  fifteen  minutes  for  disrobing  at 
night  and  then  the  lights  were  put  out.  I  roomed  with 
two  young  ladies  considerably  older  than  myself,  much 
to  their  disgust  as  they  had  many  secrets  to  discuss. 
One  night  as  they  were  growing  very  confidential  and 
plotting  very  earnestly,  I  happened  to  be  awake  and 
stirred,  when  I  heard  one  say  to  the  other,  "  Hush  ! 
little  pigs  have  long  ears."  Once  a  week  we  were  taken 
to  a  dancing  class  in  Leamington,  walking  two  and  two 
in  our  uniforms  and  doubtless  making  a  very  pretty 
show.  Here  I  may  be  said  to  have  finished  my  educa- 
tion for  in  my  fifteenth  year  I  was  installed  as  governess 
to  my  little  sisters  at  home. 

Edward,  the  second  child,  was  sent  to  London  at 
ten  years  of  age  to  be  educated  at  the  famous  Guy's 
Hospital  or,  as  it  was  popularly  known  in   London,  the 


EMM  J  J.  BARTOL  23 

Blue  Coat  School,  from  the  uniform  which  all  the  boys 
wore.  This  consisted  of  a  long  frock  coat  of  dark  blue 
cloth  buttoned  down  the  front,  knee  breeches  with  big 
buckles,  bright  yellow  woolen  stockings,  low  shoes  and  a 
small  round  blue  cloth  cap,  which,  however,  the  boys 
never  wore,  preferring  to  go  bare-headed.  This  was  the 
costume  worn  at  the  time  of  Edward  the  Sixth,  who 
founded  and  endowed  the  school,  and  it  is  unchanged  to 
this  day.  The  costume  was  a  protection  to  the  boys, 
gave  them  many  privileges  and  admitted  them  free  to 
certain  public  institutions.  We  had  the  hereditary  right 
of  sending  a  boy. 

Mamma  being  an  invalid  and  confined  to  the  sofa 
or  bed  most  of  the  time,  it  devolved  on  me  to  be  house- 
keeper. I  kept  the  keys  and  gave  out  all  the  supplies- 
I  also  sat  at  the  head  of  the  table  and  papa  gave  me 
many  lessons  in  carving  which  were  of  much  use  to  me 
all  through  life.  I  also  brewed  the  tea  and  prepared  the 
coffee  on  the  table  for  the  family.  Papa  trusted  me  with 
the  keys  of  the  cellar  and  I  was  in  a  way  the  butler,  as 
he  taught  me  how  to  decanter  the  choice  wines  and 
liquors.  I  also  attended  to  all  the  buying  for  the  family 
and  had  a  busy  life  with  little  time  left  for  the  things 
most  young  girls  are  fond  of. 

An  amusing  incident  which  I  recall  shows  that 
servants  made  provoking  mistakes  in  the  olden  times  as 
well  as  to-day.  Oysters  in  England  were  considered  a 
great  delicacy  and  were  very  expensive.  My  parents  had 
a  present  of  a  small  keg  of  them  sent  from  London,  and 
these  were  to  be  served  for  supper  when  we  were  to  have 
guests.     The  company  knew  of  this  and  were  anticipating 


24  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

the  treat.  When  we  went  into  the  dining  room  it  was 
brightly  lighted,  the  tables  beautifully  set,  and  an  im- 
mense dish  of  highly  polished  oyster  shells  stood  in  the 
middle.  The  cook  was  summoned.  "  Betty,  where  are 
the  oysters  ?"  asked  my  father.  "  An  shure,  sir,  there 
thev  be  on  the  dish  ;  I  scrubbed  and  polished  them  as 
well  as  I  could."  "  But  these  are  the  shells,  where  are 
the  ovsters  ?"  "  An  shure  I  threw  the  insides  awav,  but 
how  vou  will  eat  them  things  is  more  than  I  can  tell." 


EMM  J  J.   BARTOL  25 


CHAPTER  III. 

England,  even  three-quarters  of  a  century  ago,  was 
over-populated,  and  what  to  do  with  the  sons  of  the 
so-called  middle  class  was  a  serious  problem,  as  the  pro- 
fessions were  crowded.  My  brother  Edward  would  soon 
finish  his  education  and  some  line  of  work  must  be 
mapped  out  for  him.  To  add  to  papa's  anxieties  another 
physician  had  located  in  Kineton,  thus  dividing  a  practice 
which  was  only  large  enough  to  sustain  one.  Manv 
plans  were  considered  pro  and  con.  We  belonged  to  a 
circulating  library  in  Warwick  and  a  carrier  brought  us 
books  once  a  week.  During  the  autumn  of  1838  we 
read  and  discussed  many  which  related  to  the  Colonies 
and  especially  to  the  United  States.  Letters  from  ac- 
quaintances who  already  had  located  there  urged  papa  to 
do  likewise  on  account  of  the  opportunities  for  his  boys, 
and  finally  the  momentous  decision  was  made  to  remove 
to  New  York. 

I  have  a  faded  little  diary  of  1839  and  in  this  I  find 
many  references  to  the  preparations  for  leaving  and  the 
parting  with  friends.  The  chronology  of  events  of  1837 
and  1838  given  on  its  last  pages  is  interesting  because  it 
was  during  these  two  years  that  Queen  Victoria  was 
crowned,  that  she  opened  her  first  Parliament,  gave  her 
first  ball  in  Buckingham  Palace  and  made  her  first  visit 
in  state  to  the  Drury  Lane  Theatre  Royal.  On  the 
day  of  her  coronation  there  were  festivities  in  all  parts  of 
Great  Britain.  I  remember  that  in  Kineton  a  big  dinner 
was  given  on  the  village  green  under  a  large  tent  and,  as 


26  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

the  representative  of  one  of  the  oldest  families  in  the 
county,  I  was  invited  to  sit  at  the  head  of  the  table  and 
did  so.  Among  the  notable  events  of  those  two  years 
recorded  in  my  old  diary,  I  mention  the  following:  The 
Convent  Garden  Theatre  was  opened  under  the  manage- 
ment of  Mr.  Macready  ;  the  Royal  Exchange  in  London 
was  burned ;  the  National  Gallery  in  Trafalgar  Square 
was  opened  ;  there  was  a  most  remarkable  Aurora 
Borealis  and  a  snow  fall  in  the  English  Channel  in  mid- 
summer ;  Mrs.  Kemble  died;  the  largest  ship  ever  built 
up  to  that  time — the  British  Queen — was  launched, 
which  cost  ^100,000,  and  the  London  and  Birmingham 
Railway  was  opened  for  its  entire  length.  All  of  these 
events  I  recollect  very  well.  It  seemed  to  be  also  worth 
recording  that  a  man  found  guilty  before  the  Royal  court 
of  Jersey  for  slapping  his  wife's  face  was  sentenced  to 
eight  days  in  prison  on  bread  and  water  !  How  any 
woman  of  that  day  ever  found  courage  to  make  a  com- 
plaint is  most  surprising. 

Among  the  old  family  papers  which  have  been  pre- 
served I  find  this  letter  that  shows  the  estimation  in 
which  my  father  was  held  in  the  place  where  he  was  born 
and  reared  and  followed  his  profession  for  nearly  twenty 
vears. 

Ivy  Cottage — Bloxham 

near  Barnbury — June  13-1839 
My  dear  Welchman, 

When  I  first  heard  that  you  con- 
templated going  to  America,  I  immediately  observed  that 
your  numerous  Patients  in  this  country  would  sustain  an 
irreparable  loss  by  that  measure.  If  you  were  as  well 
known  there,  as  here,  no  testimonials  whatever  could  add 


EMMA  J.   BARTOL  2? 

to  the  good  opinion  you  have  long  since  deservedly 
earned  for  yourself  with  all  classes.  A  very  intimate  ac- 
quaintance with  you,  for  more  than  twenty  years,  during 
which  period  you  were  the  able  medical  attendant  of 
several  branches  of  my  family,  enables  me  most  con- 
scientiously to  state  that  your  professional  qualifications 
are  of  the  highest  order.  As  a  Surgeon,  I  consider  you  in- 
ferior to  few,  and  am  aware  you  have  performed  most  of 
the  capital  operations  ;  one  for  Lithotomy  (which  I  wit- 
nessed myself)  would  not  have  done  discredit  to  Sir  Astley 
Cooper.  As  a  Physician,  your  excellent  judgment  and 
scientific  treatment  have  also  repeatedly  fallen  under  my 
professional  notice.  In  the  character  of  an  Accoucher, 
your  very  extensive  and  successful  practice  had  long 
rendered  you  eminent  throughout  your  neighborhood. 
I  beg  particularly  to  add  that  the  foregoing  remarks  are 
dictated  entirely  by  justice  and  truth  ;  for  altho'  my  sin- 
cere regard  and  friendship  for  you  have  subsisted  so 
long,  that  circumstances  would  not  have  induced  me  to 
have  deviated  from  the  strictest  veracity,  which  I  am 
sure  you  well  know.  I  only  wish,  on  this  particular 
occasion  (but  for  no  other  reason),  I  could  (pro  tempore) 
be  transform'd  into  Sir  A.  Cooper  or  Sir  H.  Halford,  in 
order  to  give  more  weight  to  my  humble  testimony. 

Sincerely  wishing  Mrs.  Welchman,  yourself  and 
family,  health,  happiness  and  prosperity,  in  which  Mrs. 
C.  cordially  joins, 

Believe  me  (in  haste)  as  ever, 

yr.  faithful  and  sincere  Friend. 

Chas.  Chambers,  Surgeon  R.  N. 
Surgeon  Ext.  to  His  late  Majesty  William  4th- 

and  many  years  resident  at 
Leamington  Spa. 

The  latter  part  of  May  we  were  very  busy 
preparing  for  a  sale  of  our  household  goods  and  getting 


28  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

ready  for  our  long  journey.  There  were  many  tea  drink- 
ings  among  our  friends  and  many  sad  farewells,  for  in 
those  days  a  trip  to  the  United  States  was  indeed  a  trip 
to  another  world.  I  seem  to  have  been  having  daily  "a 
last  good  by"  with  a  certain  "Billy,"  whom  I  was  very 
reluctant  to  leave.  My  diary  records  that  some  one  else 
gave  me  a  volume  of  poems,  and  some  one  a  vinaigrette, 
and  that  my  father  refused  to  let  me  go  for  a  drive  with 
still  another. 

Not  knowing  what  we  should  find  in  New  York, 
or  indeed  if  we  should  find  anything  we  were  accustomed 
to,  mamma  said  to  me,  "You  had  better  take  your  little 
savings  and  buy  yourself  a  handsome  wedding  dress,  for 
you  may  not  have  the  opportunity  or  the  money  to  do 
this  if  you  should  ever  get  married."  Accordingly  we 
went  to  Leamington  and  she  selected  a  white  satin  suita- 
ble for  a  bridal  dress  ;  it  was  packed  with  great  care  and 
later  on  I  was  really  married  in  this  very  brocaded  satin. 

There  were  farewell  visits  to  Rugby  and  to  Strat- 
ford and  to  Kineton  church;  and  on  June  18,  we  all 
went  to  London  to  say  good-by  to  brother  Edward,  who 
was  to  be  left  in  the  Blue  Coat  School,  and  while  there 
some  one  stole  our  beautiful  little  spaniel,  "Quick."  We 
stopped  off  one  day  to  take  leave  of  the  relatives  in  Bir- 
mingham and  on  June  21  we  arrived  in  Liverpool.  Here 
we  took  lodgings  for  a  few  days  and  on  June  26  we 
boarded  the  "  Henry  Leeds,"  commanded  by  Captain 
Marshall,  whom  we  liked  very  much.  This  ship  after- 
wards became  a  "  Bethel"  for  seamen  in  the  New  York 
docks.  We  carried  such  quantities  of  clothes  and  other 
belongings  that  when  my  father  went    aboard   with  his 


EMMA  J.   BARTOL  29 

wife,  his  six  children  and  a  young  nephew,  it  must  have 
looked  like  Noah  entering  the  Ark. 

The  "  Henry  Leeds,"  of  course,  was  a  sailing  vessel 
and  the  trip  occupied  forty-seven  days.  Of  the  long 
voyage  a  few  incidents  stand  out  clearly  in  my  memory. 
There  were  no  ice  chests  or  refrigerators  in  those  days, 
and  in  a  short  time  we  were  obliged  to  depend  entirely 
on  salted  meats.  There  were  some  chickens  in  coops 
under  the  seats  on  deck,  also  some  little  pigs.  Much  of 
the  food  we  were  unaccustomed  to,  such  as  fish  balls  and 
many  preparations  made  out  of  salt  cod  ;  one  the  Cap- 
tain called  "  scouse,"  and  many  strange  dishes  were  made 
by  our  sailor  cook  out  of  Indian  meal.  The  only  corn 
we  ever  had  seen  was  some  ears  which  had  been  sent  to 
a  baker  in  Kineton  as  a  curiosity  and  hung  up  in  his 
shop  by  ribbons. 

Some  of  the  family  were  ill  during  all  the  voyage 
but  I  enjoyed  every  minute.  One  very  warm  day  I 
sought  a  cool  and  quiet  place  and  thought  I  had  found 
an  ideal  spot.  At  the  stern  of  the  ship  I  discovered  a 
large  row  boat  fastened  outside  with  an  immense  hogs- 
head in  it.  I  clambered  into  it  and  was  soon  deeply  im- 
mersed in  an  interesting  book,  when  a  most  unlooked 
for  interruption  occurred.  The  Captain  came  aft  with 
sailors  to  lower  the  boat  into  the  sea  ;  the  ropes  were 
loosened  and  the  boat  began  to  slide  down,  when  for- 
tunately they  espied  me  just  in  time  to  prevent  my  being 
spilled  into  the  briny  deep.  We  had  some  stormy 
weather  but  most  of  the  time  it  was  entirely  too  warm 
for  comfort.  Though  I  have  been  on  many  voyages 
since  I  have  never  experienced  anything  like  it.      One 


JO  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

hot,  sultry  day  the  ship  did  not  move  for  hours,  for 
there  was  a  dead  calm.  The  ocean  looked  like  a  sea  of 
molten  copper;  afar  off  one  could  perceive  only  a  slight 
heave  now  and  then  ;  the  heat  and  glare  were  intense. 
The  Nautilus  floated  lazily  past  with  their  little  pearly 
sails  all  set  and  occasionally  a  shark  or  other  large  fish 
would  dart  past  and  snap  at  them.  There  was  some- 
thing weird  in  the  awful  stillness  and  we  felt  as  if  we 
had  sailed  into  a  fatal  pool  where  we  were  to  be  rocked 
forever  in  a  dreadful  calm.  To  be  out  on  deck  for  any 
length  of  time  was  impossible  ;  it  was  like  being  in  a 
fiery  furnace,  and  even  in  the  shelter  of  the  cabin  the  air 
was  stifling. 

I  was  so  charmed  with  the  Nautilus  that  the  Cap- 
tain ordered  a  sailor  to  get  one  for  me.  He  hauled  it 
up  in  a  bucket,  but  in  doing  so  one  of  the  long  tentacles 
fell  across  his  arm  burning  it  like  fire  and  leaving  a  red 
scar,  and  the  beautiful  pearl-like  balloon  collapsed  as 
soon  as  out  of  the  sea.  O,  what  a  relief  it  was  to  per- 
ceive the  first  flutter  of  wind  and  feel  the  ship  begin  to 
slide  through  the  still  waters.  But  another  difficulty 
was  soon  manifest.  The  long  voyage  had  told  on  our 
supplies  and  we  were  running  short  of  provisions  and 
water.  Having  been  reduced  to  sea  biscuit  instead  ot 
bread,  it  was  of  vital  importance  to  reach  land  as  soon  as 
possible. 

At  last  we  sighted  Block  Island  and  then  Long 
Island.  On  August  10,  the  pilot  came  aboard,  on  a 
boat  called  "The  Virginia"  which  looked  very  handsome 
to  us.  It  brought  us  fresh  fish  and  other  food  which 
was  a  very  acceptable  change  to  our   limited  salt  diet. 


EMMA  J.   BARTOL  ji 

We  passed  the  Highlands  of  Navesink,  and  then  Staten 
Island.  We  gladly  doffed  our  sea  clothes  for  more  suit- 
able ones,  and  being  taken  by  a  little  boat  to  a  steam- 
boat, we  finally  landed  in  New  York  City  Aug.  12. 
And  oh,  how  glad  we  were  to  set  our  feet  on  shore  ! 
We  went  to  the  Barclay  St.  Hotel,  near  the  pier,  to  get 
our  first  dinner  on  the  new  continent,  and  I  remember 
our  astonishment  at  seeing  people  eating  green  corn  on 
the  ear. 


32  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 


CHAPTER  IV. 

We  soon  went  to  board  with  a  Mrs.  Smith  on 
Barrow  street,  till  a  suitable  home  could  be  found.  After 
considerable  search  we  at  last  moved  into  a  large  four- 
story  house  near  the  corner  of  Broadway  and  Franklin 
street ;  but  we  found  it  very  different  from  our  big,  com- 
fortable home  in  England.  The  ground  floor  was  occu- 
pied by  a  music  store ;  our  kitchen  was  in  the  basement, 
our  living  rooms  in  the  second  story,  and  the  bedrooms 
still  higher  up.  As  the  cares  of  housekeeping  fell  almost 
entirely  upon  me,  and  as  all  the  people  and  customs  were 
new  and  strange,  it  may  be  imagined  that  the  burden  was 
indeed  heavy  for  an  eighteen-year-old  girl. 

Not  knowing  anything  about  the  dangers  of  a  city, 
I  sometimes  did  very  unwise  things  and  ran  great  risks. 
Once  I  went  on  an  errand  to  the  Bowery,  which  was 
then  a  noted  shopping  street.  On  returning  later  than  I 
had  expected,  I  found  the  lamps  were  being  lighted.  My 
shortest  way  was  through  the  Five  Points,  the  worst  and 
most  dangerous  part  of  New  York  City.  If  I  did  not 
take  that  cut  I  must  make  a  long  detour.  I  waited  a 
moment  to  consider  and  then  dashed  through,  held  my 
head  down,  looked  neither  to  the  right  nor  left  and 
reached  Broadway  in  safety. 

On  another  occasion  I  was  obliged  to  go  to  Harlem, 
which  was  a  country  village  at  that  period  with  no  omni- 
busses  or  street  cars.  After  transacting  my  business  I 
was  very  tired  and  sat  down  on  a  bank  to  rest.  While 
sitting  there  a  buggy  drove  up  with  a  young  gentleman 


EMMA  J.   BARTOL  jj 

in  it ;  he  stopped  and  said,  "You  look  tired,  if  you  will 
jump  in  I  will  give  you  a  lift."  I  thanked  him  and  did 
so  without  hesitation.  My  speech  showed  that  I  was 
English,  and  he  soon  drew  me  out  and  learned  my  his- 
tory. When  we  arrived  in  the  city  he  said  gravely,  "  Do 
you  know  that  you  have  done  a  very  risky  thing  ?" 
"  Why  ?"  I  asked.  "  Suppose  I  should  not  take  you 
home?"  "Oh  !",  I  said,  "  I  know  you  will,  for  I  saw 
you  were  a  gentleman  and  I  trust  you."  "  Yes,"  he 
answered,  "  I  will  take  you  home  safely,  but  you  must 
never  do  such  a  thing  again."  He  then  told  me  who  he 
was,  one  of  the  firm  of  Tiffany,  the  largest  jewelers  in 
the  city.  He  took  me  to  my  door,  bade  me  good  by, 
and  I  had  learned  another  lesson  in  life. 

It  was  during  this  period  that  I  became  fully  ac- 
quainted with  the  doctrines  of  Unitarianism.  I  find  a 
reference  in  the  diary  to  a  gentleman  who  spent  the  eve- 
ning with  us  and  who  had  "  the  very  curious  idea  that 
there  is  no  future  punishment."  Shortly  afterwards,  one 
Sunday  morning,  Mamma  proposed  that  we  should  go  to 
church  and  not  being  acquainted,  we  strolled  into  the 
first  attractive  looking  one  we  saw.  Mamma  was  very 
much  pleased  with  the  preacher  and  we  decided  we 
would  go  again  the  next  Sunday.  On  inquiry  we  found 
we  had  been  listening  to  the  Rev.  Dr.  Dewey  of  the 
First  Unitarian  Church,  and  after  that  we  heard  him 
frequently.  I  sometimes  attended  the  French  Church 
to  keep  up  my  French,  but  it  was  a  long  way  from 
where  we  lived.  On  one  occasion  I  became  aware  that  I 
was  followed.  As  it  was  between  twelve  and  one  and 
the  streets  were  full  of  people  returning  from  the  various 


34  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A   TRAVELLER 

places  of  worship,  I  did  not  feel  afraid.  Finally,  when 
I  arrived  at  my  door  and  rang  the  bell  I  felt  safe,  and 
turning  I  wished  the  man  farewell  and  inquired  if  I 
should  get  him  a  map  to  find  his  way  back.  He  looked 
very  sheepish  and  turned  and  walked  away  as  quickly  as 
possible. 

Our  house  was  so  inconvenient  that  when  the  lease 
expired  we  moved  to  a  double  house  in  Barrow  street, 
then  a  very  quiet  place  of  residences,  of  which  a  family 
by  the  name  of  Pell  occupied  half.  They  had  two 
daughters  about  my  age,  Anna  Maria  and  Harriet,  and 
I  enjoyed  their  society.  We  usually  spent  our  evenings 
together  and  I  was  introduced  to  their  friends.  Anna 
Maria,  the  eldest,  had  a  beau  who  once  sent  her  a  present 
of  some  famous  home-made  cider.  Harriet  and  I  plotted 
to  have  our  own  fun  as  we  were  not  included  in  the  gift. 
We  found  a  bottle  exactly  like  the  one  holding  the  cider 
and  filled  it  with  molasses  and  water  as  near  the  shade  of 
the  cider  as  possible.  Then  we  artfully  persuaded  Anna 
Maria  that  it  would  be  polite  and  complimentary  when 
the  gentleman  repeated  his  visit  to  open  the  bottle  and 
invite  us  all  in  to  drink  together.  She  agreed  and  the 
cider  was  put  on  a  high  shelf  to  await  his  arrival.  We 
lost  no  time  in  exchanging  the  bottles,  and  awaited  the 
result.  At  last  the  evening  arrived,  Harriet  was  re- 
quested to  bring  the  famous  cider  and  glasses  for  all  and 
the  young  gentleman  poured  out  and  handed  each  of  us 
a  glass.  Anna  Maria  tasted  hers  but  did  not  seem 
enthusiastic  ;  we  made  wry  faces,  but  waited  for  her  to 
speak  ;  at  length  she  put  her  glass  down  unfinished  and 
said  she  did  not  care  for  more ;  then  we  both  chimed  up 


EMMA  J.   BARTOL  35 

and  said  we  never  did  like  cider.  The  poor  young  man 
was  terribly  confused  and,  we,  almost  convulsed  with 
laughter,  left  him  to  settle  the  matter  with  Anna  Maria. 
It  was  a  standing  joke  for  a  long  time,  but  finally  the 
real  cider  was  discovered  where  we  had  carefully  hidden 
it,  not  daring  to  go  the  length  of  drinking  it  ourselves. 

Life  and  its  pleasures  in  those  early  days  were 
simpler  and  I  am  inclined  to  think  more  enjoyable  be- 
cause less  of  an  effort.  Both  of  the  sisters  as  well  as 
myself  played  dance  music.  If  one  or  two  dropped  in 
to  call  of  an  evening  we  would  send  for  others  in  the 
neighborhood  and  get  up  an  impromptu  dance  in  short 
order,  relieving  each  other  at  the  piano.  About  half- 
past  nine  the  mother  would  have  lemonade  and  home- 
made cake  handed  round,  and  at  ten  we  would  all  go 
home,  having  spent  a  very  delightful  evening. 

About  this  time  papa  became  acquainted  with  a 
physician  who  was  much  interested  in  the  idea  of  making 
gas  out  of  water.  He  was  so  assured  of  its  feasibility 
and  so  enthusiastic  in  the  belief  that  he  would  make  a 
fortune,  that  he  persuaded  papa  to  invest  in  the  under- 
taking, but  it  was  in  advance  of  the  times  and  did  not 
succeed  ;  papa  lost  what  he  had  put  in  and  seriously  im- 
paired his  resources.  In  order  to  obtain  a  lower  rent  we 
removed  to  Fort  Lee,  the  beginning  of  the  "  Palisades" 
on  the  Hudson.  At  that  time  this  locality  was  almost 
in  a  state  of  nature  and  sparsely  settled,  with  a  few  simple 
little  cottages  of  which  we  occupied  one  which  was  pretty 
high  up  the  steep  ascent,  where  rocks  and  forest  asserted 
themselves.  Much  of  my  spare  time  was  spent  explor- 
ing these,  to  me,  new  phases  of  natural  scenery.     On  one 


j6  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

occasion  my  faithful  friend,  a  Scotch  terrier,  accompanied 
me  on  my  tramp.  It  was  growing  late  and  I  was  bound- 
ing along  over  boulders  and  stumps  when  the  dog  gave 
a  howl  of  terror.  I  went  back  to  ascertain  what  ailed 
him  and  discovered  a  large  copper-head  snake,  which  I 
had  evidently  jumped  over  a  minute  before  and  which 
doubtless  had  been  irritated  by  the  dog  nosing  him  ;  the 
snake  had  bitten  him  and  he  was  shaking  his  head  in 
pain.  The  dog  howled  most  dismally  all  night  and  his 
head  swelled  up  frightfully,  but  he  finally  recovered. 

Papa's  skill  gradually  became  known,  and  in  a  little 
while  he  was  appointed  physician  and  surgeon  for  a  large 
iron  foundry  situated  at  Cold  Spring,  opposite  West 
Point,  where  several  hundred  men  were  employed.  As 
he  did  not  dare  to  leave  us  alone  in  this  unprotected 
locality  we  returned  to  the  city  and  located  at  84 
Christopher  street.  I  found  the  care  of  a  household  of 
eight  persons  was  more  than  I  could  endure.  Our 
means  had  become  so  reduced  we  could  not  employ  the 
necessary  help,  and  so  I  persuaded  papa  to  let  me  accept 
a  position  as  governess  and  give  my  salary  for  servant 
hire.  He  finally  consented  and  I  soon  was  engaged  to 
take  charge  of  the  education  of  two  little  girls,  the 
children  of  a  Mr.  Warwick,  who  lived  in  great  style  in  a 
beautiful  home  near  Rhinebeck  on  the  Hudson.  My 
two  little  pupils  were  sweet  and  well  trained  children,  I 
was  treated  kindly  and  was  happy  and  contented.  After  a 
while  an  accident  happened,  a  candle  came  too  near  the 
looking  glass,  perhaps,  and  it  split.  Superstition  was  rife 
and  all  predicted  some  misfortune.  A  few  days  after  I 
received  word  that  I  must  return  at  once  for  my  mother 


EMM  J  J.  BARTOL  37 

was  dead.  It  was  a  very  severe  winter,  there  were  no 
railroads  or  steamboats  and  I  travelled  the  entire  distance 
from  Rhinebeck  to  New  York  in  a  sleigh.  When  I  ar- 
rived I  found  mamma  in  her  coffin  with  a  little  baby  boy 
in  her  arms.     This  was  in  January,  1841. 

As  papa  was  now  established  at  Cold  Spring  he 
decided  to  remove  his  family  there.  He  took  a  pleasant 
house  commanding  a  fine  view  of  the  river  and  we  were 
soon  comfortably  settled.  The  village  was  principally 
occupied  by  people  who  were  connected  with  the  West 
Point  Foundry  and  its  needs.  There  was  one  very 
ordinary  hotel  kept  by  a  woman  of  whom  I  remember 
an  amusing  story  was  told.  An  artist  was  stopping  there 
and  offered  to  paint  her  portrait  for  his  board.  She  was 
much  pleased  with  the  idea  and  watched  the  progress  of 
the  work  very  closely,  but  when  he  came  to  her  eyes, 
which  were  black,  she  insisted  that  he  should  paint  them 
blue,  as  she  never  had  liked  black  eyes,  and  so  blue  they 
were  made  to  her  entire  satisfaction. 

I  was  installed  as  housekeeper  and  in  addition  was 
given  the  task  of  teaching  the  younger  children,  neither 
of  which  was  a  new  experience  for  me.  Housekeeping 
in  those  days,  when  there  were  no  furnaces,  running 
water,  sewing  machines  or  any  of  the  labor-saving  devices 
of  modern  times,  called  for  constant  and  never-ending 
labor  and  my  days  held  very  little  time  for  the  frivolities 
of  life  that  young  people  are  very  fond  of  and  to  which 
they  are  really  entitled. 


38  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 


CHAPTER  V. 

It  was  not  long  before  I  met  my  future  husband; 
it  was  at  a  picnic,  I  remember.      Barnabas  Henry  Bartol 
was  a  handsome   young    man,  tall,  athletic,  blue-eyed, 
with    health,   courage  and  determination  in   every   look 
and  motion.      His  father  was  a  ship  owner  in  New  York, 
and,  after  giving  his  son  a  good  education,  he  placed  him 
at  the  age  of  seventeen  in  the  offices  of  the  West  Point 
Foundry  to  learn  the  profession   of  an   engineer.     The 
boy,  however,  against  his  father's  wishes  indentured  him- 
self as  an   apprentice,  determined  to  learn  the  business 
from  bottom  to   top.      He  manifested   such  remarkable 
ability  that  almost  from  the  first  he  was  entrusted  with 
the  most  important  work  and  was  soon  sent  to  all  parts 
of  the  United  States  to  superintend  contracts.     At  the 
age  of  twenty-three  he  was  made  superintendant  of  the 
foundry    and   under   his    management   its    business    was 
largely  extended.       It  was  a  few  years  after  this   that   I 
first  met  him. 

The  Bartol  (or  Bartoll)  family  records  of  1598  may 
be  seen  in  the  old  parish  church  of  Crewkerne,  Somer- 
setshire, near  Bristol,  England.  Representatives  of  the 
family  came  to  America  in  1639  and  established  them- 
selves at  Marblehead,  Mass.  Later,  one  branch  mi- 
grated northward  and  settled  in  Maine.  Henry,  as  he 
was  called,  was  born  in  Freeport,  Maine,  Oct.  31,  1816, 
and  was  the  ninth  often  children.  The  family  removed 
to  Portland  very  soon  afterwards,  and  when  he  was  thir- 
teen they  removed  to  New  York  City. 

When  I  first  knew  Mr.  Bartol,  his  father  was  dead 


EMM  J  J.   BARTOL  jp 

and  he  had  brought  his  mother  and  his  two  unmarried 
sisters  to  Cold  Spring,  where  they  lived  in  a  pretty  cot- 
tage. We  soon  became  engaged  and  were  married  May 
5,  1842,  at  Cold  Spring,  New  York,  by  the  rector  of 
the  Episcopal  Church,  the  Rev.  Ebenezer  Williams.  I 
was  then  just  twenty-one  years  old  and  Mr.  Bartol  was 
in  his  twenty-sixth  year.  For  a  wedding  trip  we  went  to 
Portland,  Maine,  to  visit  his  relatives,  who  received  the 
little  English  bride  very  kindly,  and  we  had  a  most 
enjoyable  visit.  On  our  return  home  we  lived  in  his 
cottage  with  his  mother  and  sisters. 

The  Bartol  family  were  rigid  Unitarians  and  Henry 
was  a  staunch  defender  of  that  faith.  There  was,  how- 
ever, no  Unitarian  organization  in  Cold  Spring,  and,  as 
he  believed  in  going  to  church  on  Sunday,  he  regularly 
attended  the  Episcopal  and  gave  it  so  much  assistance 
that  he  had  been  made  a  vestryman.  As  soon  as  1  was 
settled  in  my  new  home  I  wanted  to  take  charge  of  my 
youngest  sister,  who  was  only  five  years  old,  but  to  our 
amazement  the  Episcopal  minister  interfered  and  at  last 
persuaded  my  father  not  to  let  me  have  her  because  Mr. 
Bartol  was  a  Unitarian!  Not  satisfied  with  this  he  never 
lost  an  opportunity  of  insisting  that  it  was  my  duty  to 
require  my  husband  to  be  confirmed  in  the  Episcopal 
church.  Mr.  Bartol  naturally  resented  these  things  and 
expressed  himself  strongly,  although  we  continued  to  go 
to  church.  Finally  on  Trinity  Sunday,  in  the  midst  of 
a  sermon  burning  with  fire  and  brimstone,  Mr.  Williams 
suddenly  pointed  at  us  and  with  great  vehemence  and 
bitterness  consigned  us  to  eternal  damnation!  On  our 
way   home   I   asked   Mr.  Bartol   to  explain  to   me  what 


40  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

Unitarianism  was.  He  did  so  and  gave  me  books  and 
other  literature  on  the  subject  which  appealed  to  my 
reason  and  sense  of  justice,  I  became  a  thorough  be- 
liever in  this  new  doctrine  and  severed  all  connection 
with  the  church  whose  ordained  exponent  was  capable  of 
such  bigotry  and  uncharitableness.  We  afterwards 
became  members  of  Dr.  Henry  Bellows'  church  in  New 
York. 

There  was  a  great  deal  of  malaria  in  the  neighbor- 
hood and  I  became  a  victim  to  it.  I  was  ill  for  almost 
a  year  and  in  consequence  lost  my  first  baby.  Mr. 
Bartol's  sister,  Harriet,  soon  married  a  Mr.  Edward 
Curtis  and  went  to  New  York  to  live  ;  the  other  sister, 
Mary,  joined  her.  Mr.  Bartol's  mother  remained  with 
us.  Afterwards  a  little  daughter  came  to  me  whom  I 
named  Ellen  Kemble. 

Meanwhile  my  brother  Edward  had  finished  his 
education  in  London  and  joined  us,  and  my  father  was 
persuaded  by  friends  who  had  located  in  the  West  that 
he  could  give  his  boys  a  much  better  start  there  than  in 
the  more  thickly  populated  East.  He  took  all  his 
household  goods  and  his  six  children,  the  oldest  daughter 
only  about  sixteen,  and  started  for  Albion,  111.,  where 
he  had  purchased  a  farm.  On  the  way  the  train  was 
wrecked  and  in  the  confusion  their  trunks  were  broken 
open  and  many  valuable  things  stolen,  among  them 
beautiful  articles  of  jewelry  and  bric-a-brac  of  rare  and 
curious  workmanship  which  had  been  sent  to  us  from 
time  to  time  by  our  relations  in  the  East  Indies.  He 
put  a  tenant  on  his  farm  and  soon  built  up  a  good  prac- 
tice for  himself.     When  he  had  been  there  for  about  two 


EMM  J  J.  BARTOL  41 

years  he  was  taken  suddenly  ill,  largely  due  to  overwork, 
and  died  March  19,  1845.  My  brother  Edward  had 
just  gone  to  New  Orleans  on  a  business  trip  and  the 
family  of  young  children  was  left  alone. 

Mr.  Bartol  went  at  once  to  Albion  and  brought  the 
five  children  to  our  home  at  Cold  Spring,  where  we  also 
were  in  great  trouble.  His  brother-in-law  was  conduct- 
ing a  paper  mill  in  New  York  and  had  persuaded  him 
not  only  to  make  the  necessary  machinery  for  it  but  to 
put  a  considerable  amount  of  capital  into  it.  The  busi- 
ness failed  and  the  grief  and  anxiety  so  preyed  on  Mr. 
Curtis'  mind  that  he  died,  leaving  everything  in  confusion. 
Mr.  Bartol  decided  to  go  to  New  York  and  take  charge, 
in  the  hope  of  reestablishing  the  business  and  saving  the 
capital  he  had  put  into  it.  I  shall  never  forget  that 
winter.  Our  family  consisted  of  his  married  sister,  Mrs. 
Curtis,  her  baby  and  stepson,  my  young  daughter  and 
my  five  orphan  brothers  and  sisters  brought  from  Illinois, 
and  to  these  twelve  persons  another  was  soon  added,  for 
my  son,  Henry  Welchman,  was  born  in  January.  Soon 
afterwards  my  youngest  sister  was  taken  with  scarlet  fever 
and  lay  at  the  point  of  death  for  weeks.  Through  all 
this  Mr.  Bartol  was  making  a  desperate  struggle  to  re- 
gain the  savings  of  his  hard  work  and  careful  manage- 
ment for  years,  lost  through  no  fault  of  his.  He  did  not 
succeed  and  I  shall  remember  always  the  look  of  agony 
on  his  white  face  as  he  came  into  the  room  where  I  lay 
with  my  newly-born  babe  and  said,  "It  is  all  over,  I  am 
ruined!" 

Within  the  next  few  years  two  of  my  sisters,  Mary 
and  Louisa,  married  and  went  to  Boston  to  live,  and  my 


42  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

youngest  sister  went  with  them  and  died  there  at  the  age 
of  fifteen.  My  second  sister,  Isabel,  also  went  to  Boston 
and  was  instrumental  in  establishing  the  first  kindergar- 
tens in  that  city,  where  she  was  a  very  successful  teacher 
for  many  years.  She  married  late  in  life  and  lived  in 
the  South.  Edward  married  in  New  York  and  died 
while  on  a  business  trip  to  New  Orleans.  Arthur 
married  and  settled  in  the  West.  Mr.  Bartol's  two 
sisters  and  niece  lived  with  us  most  of  the  time  until  their 
death. 

Mr.  Bartol's  business  ability  was  well  known  and  in 
a  short  time  he  was  asked  to  go  to  Philadelphia  and  take 
the  superintendency  of  the  Southwark  Foundry  ot 
Messrs.  Merrick  and  Towne,  and  we  went  to  that  city 
in  1847.  Here  before  he  was  thirty-five  he  began 
laying  the  foundations  of  a  long  and  successful  business 
career. 

We  went  first  to  a  large  old-fashioned  boarding- 
house  in  Pine  St.,  built  of  bricks  of  alternating  red  and 
black  brought  from  England.  The  house  was  kept 
by  a  Mrs.  Sexton.  It  was  a  great  relief  to  me  to  be 
freed  from  the  cares  of  housekeeping  which  had  rested 
on  my  shoulders  since  I  was  a  mere  child,  and  as  there 
was  no  longer  any  business  worry  we  had  a  very  happy 
and  peaceful  year.  The  next  year  we  purchased  a  house 
at  the  corner  of  Broad  and  Lombard  Sts.,  and  here  my 
second  daughter,  Emma  Teresa,  was  born.  After  a  few 
years,  finding  this  place  too  far  from  his  business,  Mr. 
Bartol  bought  a  residence  on  Tenth  St.  My  second 
son  and  last  child,  George  Edward,  was  born  here,  and 
this  was  our  home  until  1865,  when  we  built  the  large 


RESIDENCE    19th   AND  SPRUCE  STREETS,    PHILADELPHIA 


EMMA  J.   BARTOL  43 

house    on    the    corner   of  Spruce  and   Nineteenth   Sts., 
where  I  hope  to  end  my  days. 

There  is  but  little  of  interest  to  record  of  those 
early  years,  as  the  life  of  one  busy  housekeeper  and 
mother  differs  but  little  from  that  of  all  others.  One 
could  get  a  good  cook  for  $1.25  a  week  and  a  chamber- 
maid for  75  cents.  Household  service  was  almost 
entirely  American  or  Irish  ;  it  was  not  difficult  to  obtain 
and  was  in  the  main  satisfactory.  I  recall  my  first  sew- 
ing-machine, which  I  secured  soon  after  the  invention  of 
what  is  now  found  in  almost  every  home.  I  had  been 
struggling  with  the  sewing  for  my  husband,  four  children 
and  the  house,  which  was  an  endless  task,  and  I  hailed 
with  joy  the  prospect  of  this  labor-saving  appliance.  Mr. 
Bartol,  however,  had  no  faith  in  it  and  did  not  want  to 
buy  one.  Without  his  knowledge  I  went  to  the  house 
of  a  woman  who  made  salt  bags  for  a  firm  and  there 
learned  to  use  the  sewing-machine.  Then  I  announced 
to  my  husband  that  I  wanted  the  little  patrimony  which 
had  come  to  me  from  my  father's  estate  placed  at  my 
separate  disposal.  He  could  not  have  been  more  sur- 
prised if  a  thunderbolt  had  fallen,  but  in  a  short  time  he 
placed  an  account  in  bank  to  my  credit  and  my  first 
check  was  drawn  to  buy  a  sewing-machine.  I  regret  to 
say,  however,  that  I  made  such  vigorous  and  constant 
use  of  it  as  to  bring  on  a  serious  illness,  the  expenses  of 
which  were  quite  equal  to  the  cost  of  the  machine. 
Nevertheless  it  was  for  years  afterwards  a  very  necessary 
part  of  the  household  equipment. 

I  was  never  so  occupied  with  domestic  cares  as  not 
to  find  some  time    for   duties    outside    the    house   and   I 


44  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

entered  largely  into  the  various  activities  of  the  church, 
the  charitable  work  of  the  city,  and  later  the  extensive 
demands  created  by  the  Civil  War  ;  but  of  these  I  shall 
speak  in  another  chapter. 


EMMA  J.   BARTOL  45 


CHAPTER  VI. 

The  greatest  desire  of  my  life  was  for  travel.  From 
earliest  childhood  I  had  pored  over  books  of  travel  and 
wondered  if  ever  it  would  be  my  good  fortune  to  see  any 
of  the  interesting  countries  I  read  about,  with  their 
strange  people  and  customs,  and  the  wonderful  varia- 
tions of  nature  in  scenery  and  especially  in  trees,  flowers, 
and  the  plant  life  in  which  I  was  always  so  much  inter- 
ested. I  little  dreamed  in  those  early  days  of  the  extent 
to  which  I  should  be  able  to  indulge  this  love  of  travel, 
and  that  my  trips  would  twice  encircle  the  globe  and  in- 
clude most  of  the  countries  of  the  world.  Aside  from 
the  journey  which  brought  me  from  England  to  the 
United  States,  my  travels  may  be  said  to  have  begun  in 
1853.  Much  of  the  machinery  made  in  the  West  Point 
Foundry,  and  also  in  the  Southwark  Foundry  of  Phila- 
delphia, was  for  use  in  manufacturing  sugar  and  was  sent 
to  Cuba.  Subsequently  Mr.  Bartol  himself  had  large 
personal  interests  there  and  I  spent  a  number  of  winters 
on  that  island.  The  first  was  in  1853-4,  when  I  took 
my  little  son,  hoping  the  warm  climate  would  give  relief 
to  an  asthmatic  trouble  from  which  he  suffered.  I  find 
some  records  of  that  visit  in  a  sort  of  journal  which  I 
kept,  occasionally  sending  pages  of  it  home. 

Sunday,  December,  1  8th,  1853. — We  are  just  about 
entering  the  harbor  of  Havana  ;  unfortunately  there  is  a 
regular  Scotch  mist  that  destroys  the  general  view  we 
otherwise  should  have  had,  and  we  can  only  see   objects 


46  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 


as  we  approach  near  them.  Here  is  Morro  Castle  on 
the  left;  I  hear  them  all  talking  of  the  fine  harbor  but  I 
see  no  entrance  ;  the  passage  is  so  narrow  that  we  did  not 
perceive  it  till  we  came  close  up  to  the  Castle,  which 
looks  old  and  weather-beaten  ;  and  well  it  may,  for  old 
Father  Neptune  batters  it  continually  and  in  his  fury 
madly  dashes  over  the  very  top  of  the  light-house.  This 
happens  when  they  have  what  they  call  a  "  Norther." 
How  beautifully  green  everything  looks  !  The  land  is 
rather  high,  sloping  down  with  its  green  verdure  to  the 
very  edge,  where  the  waves  are  now  gently  breaking. 
There  are  some  cocoa-nut  trees.  Here  comes  a  little 
boat  with  a  dark-looking  man  dressed  in  light  linen 
clothes.  He  is  a  Spanish  pilot  and  he  comes  on  board. 
The  signals  on  Morro  Castle  have  been  answered  and 
our  vessel  rides  proudly  into  the  harbor,  looking  like  a 
lion  amongst  a  set  of  curs,  so  large  and  noble  in  com- 
parison to  the  small  craft  around  us. 

There  on  the  shore  are  houses  of  many  colors — blue, 
yellow,  green,  and  some  with  red  tiles.  The  tiles  are 
half  round,  giving  the  roofs  a  ribbed  appearance.  We 
still  keep  winding  up  the  harbor  with  houses  clustered 
all  along.  At  last  the  engine  is  stopped,  the  hawser  is 
made  fast  to  a  buoy  and  we  are  stationary.  Now  the 
small  boats  are  flocking  around.  They  look  something 
like  gondolas  ;  all  have  an  awning  at  one  end,  gaily 
painted — red,  yellow,  green  or  blue — some  being  grotes- 
que looking  affairs. 

A  ladder  is  thrown  from  the  ship's  side  and  lashed 
securely.  The  boats  crowd  up  and  vie  with  each  other 
in  clamoring  for    passengers,   like  the  New   York    hack- 


EMM  J  J.  BARTOL  47 


men.  What  a  babel  of  languages,  what  a  confusion  of 
tongues  !  The  Government  officers  come  aboard  ;  our 
passports  are  given  up  and  permits  to  land  are  handed 
to  those  who  wish  to  take  a  peep  at  Havana  before  the 
vessel  leaves  for  New  Orleans.  This  is  a  regular  "  pen- 
ny-a-peep"  show,  one  of  the  ways  these  Spaniards  have 
of  making  money. 

Away  they  all  go  pack  and  baggage.  My  friends 
have  not  come  for  me  yet,  and  as  there  are  only  half  a 
dozen  passengers  left  it  seems  quite  lonely.  The  vessel 
starts  again  at  twelve  and  it  is  now  half-past  eleven  and  I 
am  thinking  I  shall  have  to  go  on  shore  alone.  Ah  ! 
at  last  here  is  my  friend.  What  a  relief!  I  feel  as  if  a 
heavy  weight  were  suddenly  lifted  off  my  shoulders. 
How  grateful  is  a  familiar  face  in  a  foreign  port ! 

Now  we  take  our  turn  going  down  the  ladder,  glide 
swiftly  over  the  water  in  our  little  boat  and  jump  on- 
to a  wooden  quay  in  front  of  a  theatrical  looking  house, 
painted  blue  and  yellow,  and  indeed  looking  as  though 
somebody  in  a  frolicksome  mood  had  been  making  dabs 
with  the  blue  bag.  The  porters  march  off,  each  with 
a  trunk  on  his  back,  and  dump  them  down  in  the  theatri- 
cal looking  house  which  turns  out  to  be  the  Customs. 
My  friend  takes  my  keys  and  opens  one  trunk  after 
another  for  the  inspection  of  the  officers  and  about 
twenty  or  thirty  men  are  looking  on.  The  officer  lifts 
up  my  dresses  ;  thank  you,  Mr.  Officer,  for  not  rum- 
maging to  the  bottom.  Now  another  trunk  ;  there  are 
collars,  under-sleeves  and  stockings  ;  I  can  not  help 
laughing  to  see  them  turning  over  my  woman's  traps  so 
carefully.     They  have  treated  me  very  well  on  the  whole, 


48  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

though,  for  I  expected  to  have  everything  turned  upside 
down.  Now  the  trunks  are  relocked,  the  porters 
shoulder  their  loads  and  off  we  march  again. 

We  get  into  a  volante,  a  vehicle  that  seems  fright- 
ened at  the  horse  and  unwilling  to  follow  it,  the  shaft's 
length  is  so  enormous  and  there  is  such  a  distance  be- 
tween the  horse  and  the  carriage.  It  has  something  the 
appearance  of  a  gig  with  a  top  to  it,  an  apron  of  blue 
cloth  fastened  from  the  dash  board  to  the  hood  entirely- 
intercepting  all  view.  The  driver  sits  on  the  horse,  and 
the  poor  beast  looks  meagre  and  half  starved.  Here  on 
the  right  we  pass  a  square.  How  pretty  it  looks,  those 
trees  with  beautiful  scarlet  blossoms  and  the  waving 
palms  !  Now  we  stop  at  a  French  hotel  called  "  Le 
Grand."  The  building  is  a  hollow  square,  all  the  bed- 
rooms opening  onto  a  corridor  with  a  red  brick  floor  and 
having  a  balustrade  all  around.  We  look  down  into  a 
yard  where  they  prepare  a  good  deal  of  the  food.  The 
walls  are  all  white-washed  with  the  exception  of  about 
four  feet  from  the  floor,  which  are  coarsely  daubed  with 
gay  colors,  somewhat  like  our  shilling  bandboxes.  The 
floors  are  of  a  yellowish  white  or  gaily  painted  to  imitate 
tesselated  pavement.  The  ceilings  are  tremendously 
high — some  twenty-four  feet — not  plastered,  and  the 
rafters  painted  blue.  And  there  are  innumerable  tall 
doors,  about  sixteen  feet  high,  with  stained  glass  over 
every  one. 

Bands  of  soldiers  have  been  going  about  making 
music  all  day.  The  theatre,  which  is  a  few  doors  from 
here,  has  been  crowded  and  I  cannot  realize  that  it  is 
Sunday  ;   the  stores  are  open  and  it  has  appeared  to  be  a 


EMMA  J.   BARTOL  49 

gala  day  with  everybody.  I  have  had  so  much  crowded 
into  my  head  to-day  that  I  feel  as  if  a  whole  year's  ad- 
ventures had  been  jammed  in  at  once,  so  I  will  lay  down 
my  pen  and  try  a  Cuban  cot.  It  looks  clean  and  in- 
viting and  is  enveloped  in  white  book  muslin  curtains. 

Monday,  December  19th. — My  sleep  was  disturbed 
on  my  foreign  bed,  or  rather  cot,  with  nothing  between 
me  and  the  sacking  stretched  across  but  a  thin  cotton 
blanket  and  a  linen  sheet,  and  over  me  one  sheet  and 
one  blanket.  The  pillows  felt  like  cotton  bats.  My 
bedroom  is  about  twelve  feet  square,  with  four  doors,  or 
windows,  as  they  answer  the  purpose  of  both.  They  are 
about  sixteen  feet  high  and  open  down  to  the  floor.  One 
is  heavily  barred  with  iron  so  that  you  can  leave  it  open 
and  yet  be  safe  from  intrusion.  At  the  top  of  each  door 
is  a  small  window  with  blue  and  yellow  glass  in  it.  The 
floor  is  of  cement  with  a  strip  of  carpet  before  each  cot. 
Here,  as  at  sea,  the  men  perform  the  part  of  valet  de 
chambre.  I  was  aroused  in  the  middle  of  the  night  by  a 
band,  which,  although  it  discoursed  sweet  music  for  hours, 
I  would  gladly  have  dispensed  with.  As  soon  as  I  was 
dressed  in  the  morning,  coffee  was  handed  in,  in  a  little 
cup  about  the  size  of  an  egg  cup.  Between  nine  and  ten 
breakfast  was  served,  of  which  I  will  give  a  description. 
A  bottle  of  claret  wine,  a  bottle  of  water,  dishes  of  fried 
plantains,  prawns,  mutton  chops,  fried  potatoes,  French 
mince,  French  stew,  truffles,  an  unknown  compound, 
one  roll  apiece,  the  size  of  a  goose  egg,  and  no  more 
bread  and  no  tea  or  milk.  After  we  have  finished 
eating,  strong  cofFee  is  handed  around. 

Breakfast  over  we   take  a  volante  (for  one   cannot 


jo  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

walk  in  Havana)  and  ride  to  the  Cathedral  where  the 
remains  of  Columbus  are  claimed  to  be.  A  priest  with  a 
many-cornered  cap  on  and  a  long  flowing  robe  escorts  us 
about.  The  building  is  a  very  ancient  looking  place  ; 
the  walls  in  the  interior  are  entirely  covered  over  with 
painting  in  various  devices  and  some  scriptural  verses. 
The  floor  is  of  different  colored  marbles  and  the  whole 
reminds  us  of  the  descriptions  we  have  read  of  the 
churches  in  France  or  Germany.  There  are  no  pews, 
each  worshipper  bringing  his  own  carpet  to  kneel  on  ; 
we  saw  one  rug  left  by  some  devotee.  There  were  sev- 
eral confessionals  looking  like  mahogany  sentry  boxes 
and  a  number  of  very  large  straight-backed  chairs  that 
antiquarians  would  vastly  prize.  A  lamp  was  burning 
before  the  altar  and  Columbus  carved  in  white  marble, 
with  a  Spanish  inscription  signifying  that  his  remains  are 
there  on  the  right  hand  side. 

From  the  Cathedral  we  went  to  the  fish  market 
which  is  close  by.  The  market  house  is  a  stone  build- 
ing with  a  long  row  of  marble  slabs  and  a  number  of 
copper  pans  suspended  to  weigh  the  fish  in,  which  were 
all  alive  and  kicking  and  of  the  most  brilliant  hues  ; 
some  were  cherry  colored,  some  rosy  red,  some  faintly 
tinged  with  pink,  some  a  cerulean  blue,  others  striped 
with  the  most  delicate  shades  of  purple  and  buff"  and 
lilac.  But  the  most  curious  of  all  were  the  cochino,  or 
hog  fish  ;  the  resemblance,  snout  and  all,  is  so  striking 
you  expect  to  hear  his  swineship  give  a  grunt  of  disap- 
probation when  you  give  him  a  poke.  Another  cur- 
ious fish  called  vaca,  or  cow  fish,  had  horns  not  quite 
long  enough    to  toss  you.        The    lobsters    are    much 


EMMA  J.   BARTOL  5i 

prettier  than  ours,  they  are  speckled  all  over  and  very- 
much  the  color  of  a  jay  bird.  The  race  has  improved 
for  the  better  in  this  part  of  the  globe,  having  lost  those 
formidable  pinching  claws.  The  eels  are  terrible  look- 
ing things. 

The  sidewalks  of  Havana  are  exceeding  narrow, 
indeed  in  some  cases  two  can  not  pass.  The  path- 
way has  generally  only  one  flag.  The  middle  of  the 
street  is  not  paved  but  looks  like  our  macadamized 
roads,  and  is  of  a  dazzling  whiteness  from  the  limestone 
that  is  used.  The  houses  appear  very  prison-like,  hav- 
ing immense  doors  with  iron  bars,  and  no  glass  win- 
dows. The  doors  or,  if  you  please,  shutters,  are  open 
all  day  and,  the  bars  being  three  or  four  inches  apart, 
one  can  see  all  that  is  going  on  in  the  interior.  Most 
of  the  stores  have  a  great  variety  of  goods  although  some 
confine  themselves  to  one  particular  branch. 

There  are  some  very  pretty  trees  in  front  of  our 
house  with  large  scarlet  and  yellow  blossoms  resembling 
in  shape  the  Althea.  They  are  called  the  majagua.  I 
am  told  rope  is  made  from  the  bark. 

In  the  afternoon  the  streets  are  filled  with  volantes 
occupied  by  very  gaily  dressed  ladies.  You  would  be 
puzzled  how  to  dress  yourself  for  this  occasion  ;  instead 
of  dressing  for  a  ride  you  must  dress  as  if  for  a  ball. 

Later — I  left  you  contemplating  how  you  should 
dress  yourself  for  a  ride  in  a  volante.  Let  me  describe 
those  passing  by.  The  ladies  have  no  bonnets  on ; 
Spanish  ladies  are  noted  for  their  abundant  long,  black 
hair,  which  they  arrange  very  prettily,  with  puffs  in 
front,  plaited  behind,  with  tortoise  shell  combs  and  pins. 


52  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

Some  wear  pretty  head-dresses  or  veils.  This  lady  had 
on  a  pink  tarleton  flounced  up  to  the  waist,  that  one  blue 
tissue,  and  some  wore  white  book  muslin.  All  the  ma- 
terials used  are  very  thin  and  frail  and  I  am  told  they 
frequently  wear  a  dress  but  once.  The  linen  cambrics 
are  very  fine  and  a  dress  costs  about  $20.  They  are 
much  worn  but  do  not  look  as  pretty  as  a  handsome 
lawn.  The  young  ladies  have  bare  arms  and  wear  a  great 
deal  of  jewelry. 

The  Havaneros  pride  themselves  on  their  "  turn- 
out," and  decorate  the  volante  and  harness  with  much 
silver.  One  may  see  two  or  three  horses,  attached  to 
the  volante  by  hempen  ropes  encased  in  leather,  the 
horses  abreast.  The  driver  invariably  rides  on  one  and 
puts  us  in  mind  of  an  ourang  outang  dressed  up  at  a 
circus.  He  generally  wears  an  old  faded  [seen-its-best- 
day]  jockey  jacket,  of  scarlet  cloth  or  blue  or  chocolate, 
corded  and  bound  with  yellow  ;  white  trousers,  immense 
boots  laced  from  top  to  toe  and  reaching  six  inches  above 
the  knee,  large,  heavy  silver  spurs  with  rowels  an  inch 
and  a  half  in  diameter,  and  a  gay  handkerchief  bound 
round  the  head  with  the  corners  flying  behind. 

My  little  Harry  thought  he  would  make  the  most 
of  his  time  and  started  off  on  an  exploring  expedition 
without  my  permission.  Hour  after  hour  passed  away 
but  I  felt  perfectly  contented  for  I  thought  he  had  gone 
with  my  friend  ;  when  the  latter  arrived  and  asked  me 
where  Harry  was  and  said  that  he  had  met  some  one 
who  told  him  that  a  little  boy  was  lost,  I  still  thought 
that  he  was  joking  ;  but  while  we  were  talking  in  marched 
Master   Harry  looking  rather  crestfallen.     Havana  is  a 


EMMA  J.  BARTOL  S3 

walled  city  and  we  were  staying  outside  the  walls,  in  the 
suburbs.  It  appears  that  Harry  had  gone  strolling  round 
and  got  inside  the  walls.  As  soon  as  he  found  he  had 
lost  his  way  he  began  to  cry,  whereupon  the  policeman 
seized  him,  which  nearly  frightened  all  his  wits  away — 
these  policeman  being  fierce  looking  fellows  and  gener- 
ally armed.  They  took  him  to  every  hotel  inside  the 
city  and  finally  stumbled  on  somebody  who  could  speak 
a  little  English  to  the  child,  and  then  he  was  brought 
back  to  us  pretty  well  frightened. 

Travelling  here  is  not  as  easy  as  in  the  North.  The 
officials  are  very  particular  what  kind  of  baggage  you 
have,  and  you  are  obliged  to  pay  for  it  separately  and  to 
take  a  written  paper  for  a  check.  It  is  both  tedious  and 
awkward.  We  were  over  an  hour  getting  our  baggage 
attended  to  for  our  trip  to  the  country  tomorrow.  I  was 
surprised  at  the  size  of  Havana  and  its  environs — Puen- 
tes  Grandes,  Regla,  Guanabacoa  and  Jesus  del  Monte. 
The  rich  merchants  generally  reside  in  these  environs. 
We  took  a  carryall  and  went  for  a  long  drive.  Before 
we  returned  the  houses  were  lighted  up  and  the  interior 
of  many  looked  very  pleasant.  The  cement  floors  seem 
cheerless  to  a  Northern  eye,  but  when  we  consider  the 
heat  they  appear  well  adapted  to  a  tropical  climate  and 
we  soon  became  accustomed  to  them.  The  furniture  is 
such  as  we  use  in  the  States ;  all  the  chairs  are  cane-bot- 
tomed and  sofas  are  hair  cloth.  The  city  is  lighted  with 
gas.  They  have  some  very  good  stores  and  we  can  buy 
many  goods  quite  as  cheap  as  in  the  North.  I  have  not 
been  shopping  yet    but    it    is    said    one  can   buy   hand- 


54  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

some  French  dress  goods  and  laces  at  quite  a  low 
price. 

In  the  evening  we  went  to  the  Square  before  the 
Governor's  Palace,  called  the  Plaza  de  Armas.  The 
band  plays  beautifully  every  evening  at  eight  o'clock.  In 
the  centre  of  the  Plaza  is  a  large  statue  of  Ferdinand  the 
Seventh,  with  four  royal  palms  planted  so  as  to  form  a 
square  and  standing  as  sentinels  over  it.  Each  palm  has 
four  gas  lights  under  it — looking  like  little  wax  tapers, 
compared  to  the  gigantic  trees  waving  in  the  breeze 
above  them.  Here  is  the  grand  resort  for  all  the  Span- 
ish belles  and  beaux.  The  streets  all  around  are  one 
continuous  string  of  volantes  full  of  elegantly  dressed 
ladies  who  come  to  see  and  be  seen.  Of  course  there  are 
no  lack  of  gentlemen  here,  who  seem  to  find  something 
very  attractive  in  the  volantes,  and  the  whole  scene  is  a 
most  animating  one.  Tomorrow  we  go  to  the  sugar  es- 
tate, about  sixty  miles  from  Havana. 

Tuesday,  December  20th — We  took  the  cars 
at  six  in  the  morning.  The  road  ran  through  a  pretty 
country  near  Havana  with  the  land  cultivated  as  market 
gardens.  I  saw  some  fine  cabbages,  lettuce,  peas  in 
bloom,  and  radishes;  then  came  the  sugar  plantations 
and  the  royal  palms  scattered  all  along,  with  here  and 
there  a  cocoa-nut  tree;  the  waste  land  was  covered  with 
the  guava,  growing  much  like  huckleberry  bushes.  We 
stopped  a  number  of  times  on  our  route  at  miserable 
looking  hamlets.  All  the  houses  are  of  one  story  and 
the  tiles  of  the  roof  are  peculiar,  looking  at  a  distance 
like  flower  pots  slipped  one  within  another  and  lying  in 
rows  from  the  top  to  the  eaves.     This  is  caused  by  the 


EMMA  J.  BARTOL  55 

tiles  being  a  half  circle  and  every  other  row  inverted.  A 
great  part  of  the  road  was  fenced  in  with  a  most  impene- 
trable hedge  formed  of  pina  raton,  which  resembles  the 
aloes  we  see  in  pots  in  the  hot-houses.  It  bears  a  fruit 
about  the  size  of  a  butternut  and  in  shape  like  a  pine- 
apple, which  has  a  pleasant  tart  taste  though  it  is  not 
eaten.  The  ends  of  the  leaves  have  most  formidable 
thorns  which  even  the  oxen  will  not  dare  to  invade. 

We  stopped  to  take  breakfast  at  Guines,  but  it  did 
not  look  very  inviting.  Almost  all  the  dishes  bear  a  re- 
semblance to  one  another,  stews  or  fricassees  with  dishes 
of  rice  here  and  there,  and  everybody  drinks  red  wine  or 
coffee. 

We  arrived  at  our  stopping  place,  Alba,  about  half 
past  ten,  where  we  took  a  volante  to  our  place  of  des- 
tination which  was  between  two  and  three  miles  distant. 
The  roads  are  horrible,  having  ruts  a  foot  deep.  We 
passed  a  patch  of  plantain,  one  of  the  staple  articles  of 
food;  on  the  right  was  a  sugar  cane  field,  which  at  a  cur- 
sory glance  one  would  take  for  a  corn  field.  As  we  turn 
a  sharp  angle  the  house  comes  in  view.  First  on  the 
right  we  see  an  octagon  pigeon  house,  built  of  stone, 
plastered  and  white-washed,  with  red  tiled  roof  and 
covered  with  pigeons.  In  the  front  is  a  baptisimal  look- 
ing font  for  them  to  bathe  in.  On  the  left  are  a  suc- 
cession of  outhouses  built  in  a  semi-circle  round  the 
main  building  consisting  of  stables,  bathing-house,  wash- 
house  and  kitchen.  The  main  building  is  a  large  square 
house  of  one  story,  with  a  very  wide  piazza  on  two  sides 
with  a  cement  floor.  When  you  enter  the  front  door 
you  find  yourself  in  a  large,  unceiled  hall  with  a  sloping 


56  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

roof,  the  joints  of  which  are  painted  an  indescribable 
green  color.  The  hall  also  has  a  cement  floor  and  a 
glass  lamp  pendant  from  the  centre.  The  walls  are  white- 
washed. The  bedrooms  lead  out  from  this  hall  on  either 
side  so  that  my  bedroom  opens  on  one  side  into  the  hall 
and  on  the  other  side  to  the  piazza. 

You  may  imagine  the  mildness  of  the  climate  when 
I  tell  you  that  I  have  no  glass  in  my  windows.  In  fact 
I  have  no  window  in  my  room,  the  light  being  admitted 
through  the  door  which  opens  onto  the  piazza.  There 
are  four  small  panes  of  glass  above  the  door  but  they  do 
not  admit  light  enough  to  dress  by,  consequently  upon 
jumping  out  of  bed  I  immediately  make  a  dive  for  the 
door  and  perform  the  principal  part  of  my  toilet  there, 
watching  the  negros  going  to  their  work  and  the  effect 
of  the  rising  sun  on  hill  and  dale.  It  is  all  very  delight- 
ful to  me.  The  most  prominent  thing  that  strikes  me 
on  nearing  the  house  is  the  pleasant  odor  of  the  bagazo, 
which  is  the  cane  after  the  juice  is  extracted  from  it  and 
which  is  strewn  all  about  to  dry  for  fuel,  much  after  the 
fashion  of  hay,  which  it  much  resembles  in  smell,  only 
sweeter  with  a  little  odor  of  corn  which  is  delicious. 

Christmas  Eve — The  day  was  so  delightfully  warm 
I  wore  a  light  muslin  dress,  but  there  is  such  a  pleasant 
breeze  all  the  time  one  never  feels  uncomfortable.  It 
seems  like  the  most  delightful  of  our  autumn  weather, 
but  if  one  is  exposed  to  the  sun  it  will  burn  one's  back. 
In  the  evening  we  drank  maraschino  to  our  absent  friends. 
Night  set  in  with  a  severe  thunder  storm. 

Christmas  day — The  negros  had  a  holiday  from 
sunrise  to  sun-set.     I  heard  the  drums  going  all  day  in 


EMMA  J.  BARTOL  57 


the  baracoons  and  believe  they  danced  but  I  did  not  go 
to  see  them.  At  sundown  the  bell  rang  for  them  to  go 
to  work  again  although  it  was  Sunday  as  well  as  Christ- 
mas. It  was  warm  enough  today  to  melt  my  pomatum. 
I  wore  a  very  thin  lawn  and  found  it  sufficient.  We  had 
no  church  to  go  to  and  with  the  exception  of  people  loll- 
ing about  with  no  particular  employment,  I  saw  nothing 
to  mark  the  day.  In  the  evening  we  all  went  over  to 
call  on  neighbors — a  French  family.  Some  of  us  went 
on  horseback  and  the  rest  in  a  volante. 

December   26th. — I   will  give  you   an  idea   of  our 
general  life.      We  get  up  at  six,  when  the  slave  brings  in 
coffee,  which  is  very  strong,  and  boiled  milk  and  sugar. 
I  do  not  think  it  wholesome  so  I   make  for  the  orange 
trees,  shake  four  or  five  off,  peel  them  and  suck  the  juice 
and  pulp,  throwing  all  the  rest  away.     This  is  the  Cuban 
way  of  eating  oranges.     At  half  past  seven  four  or  five 
saddle  horses  are  brought  to  the  door  for  those  who  wish 
to  ride.      I  generally  make  one  of  the  party,  being  very 
fond  of  the  exercise.      We  go  where  fancy  dictates  for 
about  an  hour,  perhaps  longer.     Nine  is  the  breakfast 
hour  though  it  is  generally  nearer  ten,  and  sometimes  it 
is  nearly  eleven  when  we  rise  from  the  table.     We  then 
go   to   our  different  occupations;   the  gentlemen   to  the 
sugar  house,  the  ladies  to  sewing,  reading,  etc.,  until  din- 
ner ;  three  o'clock  is  the  hour  but  we  seldom  sit  down 
till  half  past.     When  we  have  finished  the  sun  is  just 
about  sinking.     Then  the  volante  and  horses  are  ordered 
and  we  ride  or  visit  neighbors  for  an  hour  or  two.      We 
generally  read  aloud  or  sew  and  play  on  the  piano  and 


58  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

sing  the  remainder  of  the  evening  unless  company  comes 
in. 

New  Years  Day,  1854. — Out  of  a  very  sound  sleep 
I  was  aroused  by  "Happy  New  Year"  and  kisses  on  my 
cheek,  and  although  it  was  still  dark  there  was  no  more 
sleep.  All  were  bound  for  fun  and  there  was  a  race  as 
to  which  could  get  dressed  first  and  catch  the  rest.  But 
it  was  almost  impossible  to  dress  on  account  of  fire-crack- 
ers and  various  startling  events.  The  day  was  rather 
cold  and  windy,  but  bright  and  sunshiny.  The  negro 
women  were  presented  with  dresses  and  gay  colored 
handkerchiefs.  They  came  in  their  best  bib  and  tucker 
to  wish  us  the  compliments  of  the  season.  After  break- 
fast the  men  brought  their  drums,  which  appear  to  be  the 
only  musical  instrument  they  possess.  They  have  a 
unique  way  of  using  them.  The  drum  is  made  of  a  hol- 
low log  of  wood  with  a  raw-hide  stretched  across  the  top 
and  nailed  firmly  down.  A  rope  is  tied  round  the  mid- 
dle of  the  log  and  also  around  the  performer's  waist.  He 
then  tips  his  drum  a  little  and  mounts  it  much  after  the 
fashion  of  little  boys  playing  horse  with  father's  cane. 
The  drummer  commences  by  hitting  the  drum  with  the 
palm  of  the  hands  alternately,  slowly  at  first,  then  quick- 
er, getting  up  steam  by  degrees,  till  at  last  the  eyes  begin 
to  roll,  the  whole  body  is  in  motion,  and  off  goes  the 
hat,  away  goes  the  coat,  vest  and  shirt,  leaving  his  tawny 
skin  glistening  in  the  sun  like  polished  ebony.  When 
he  is  exhausted  another  takes  his  place.  On  this  occa- 
sion there  were  three  drummers  and  the  dancers 
stood  in  groups  on  each  side  of  them.  Only  one  couple 
performed  at  a  time.     The  lady  always  has  a  gay  colored 


EMMA  J.  BARTOL  59 

handkerchief  in  her  hands  which  she  waves  around.  Her 
steps  are  very  small,  with  little  jumping  or  springing,  and 
on  the  whole  her  performance  is  a  very  tame  affair.  Not 
so  with  the  gentlemen.  The  more  antics  he  can  perform 
the  better;  encircling  the  lady  with  his  arms  without 
touching  her,  following  her  wherever  she  goes,  kneeling, 
touching  the  ground  in  a  sitting  posture,  then  bounding 
on  his  feet — all  in  time  with  the  music — till  just  as  he 
appears  to  be  going  completely  distracted  and  you  are 
prepared  for  something  desperate,  they  both  slide  into  the 
group  and  two  more  take  their  places;  and  so  on  for 
hours.  It  is  customary  to  load  the  favorite  lady  dancer 
with  gay  handkerchiefs  ;  her  admirers  step  up  and  tie 
them  around  her  neck  and  arms  until  they  are  frequently 
almost  covered.  Sometimes  they  put  money  in  her 
mouth.  These  African  belles  come  out  very  early.  I 
saw  some  dressed  as  women  and  deporting  themselves 
with  all  the  gravity  of  women  of  thirty,  who  were  not 
more  than  eight. 

The  weather  remained  quite  cool  all  day  though  not 
cold  enough  to  prevent  us  from  dining  out  of  doors  un- 
der a  bower  covered  with  palm  branches  for  the  occasion. 
We  had  a  most  excellent  dinner  given  in  true  English 
style.  It  would  be  a  long  task  to  enumerate  all  the 
dishes  served;  but  some  peculiar  to  the  country  and  the 
season,  as  differing  from  the  North  I  will  mention. 
Fresh  green  peas  sweeter  than  any  I  ever  tasted,  palm 
cabbage — the  young  leaves  in  embryo,  white  as  the  driven 
snow,  that  are  taken  from  the  heart  of  the  trees — this  is 
cooked  as  other  cabbage  and  is  sweeter  and  more  deli- 
cate, and  also  makes  excellent  pickle;  yam,  which  is  very 


60  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

much  like  potatoes  and  quite  as  good;  choite,  something 
like  squash,  and  malanza,  or  choke  dog — the  name  char- 
acterizes it;  bouillion,  which  is  a  part  of  the  brisket  boiled 
fresh,  a  part  generally  salted  with  us;  beef  a  la  mode, 
which  is  a  piece  of  beef  stewed  with  carrots  and  turnips 
thirty-six  hours;  and  snipe  oranges  and  hicacoes,  which 
look  like  plums  when  preserved.  The  order  of  the  din- 
ner was  turtle-soup,  and  sherry,  boiled  and  roasted  meats, 
vegetables,  games,  champagne,  plum  pudding  and  pies, 
fruit,  coffee  and  pousse  cafe  or  maraschino.  We  were 
obliged  to  have  lights  soon  after  sitting  down.  When 
we  rose  from  the  table  the  gentlemen  called  for  music 
and  singing.  The  remainder  of  the  evening  was  passed 
in  dancing  and  games,  and  thus  ended  another  Sunday. 

Sunday  Again. — Nothing  but  the  ridiculous  came 
into  my  head  when  I  first  saw  a  palm  tree.  I  must  tell 
you  how  it  struck  me.  You  have  seen  the  sable  plumes 
used  on  hearses ;  well,  imagine  them  stuck  on  the  top  of 
an  immensely  tall  broom  handle  and  you  have  the  Royal 
Palm  before  you.  The  height  of  the  trunk  is  so  enor- 
mous that  the  leaves  which  grow  in  a  tuft  at  the  top  look 
like  ostrich  feathers  waving  about,  and  it  is  not  until  you 
ride  through  avenues  or  groves  of  these  trees  that  you 
realize  their  lofty  beauty.  They  are  frequently  planted 
in  avenues,  which  afford  a  very  pleasant  shade  and  are 
delightful  to  ride  through.  At  a  French  lady's  near  here 
there  is  a  palm  avenue  in  front  of  the  house  and  at  the 
back;  at  the  side  there  is  a  mango  avenue.  The  mango 
is  a  most  beautifully  shaped  tree ;  the  foliage  is  very 
thick,  the  leaves  are  large,  dark  and  glossy,  and  it  looks 
like  an  evergreen.     At  the  present  time  it  is  full  of  flow- 


EMMA   J.  BARTOL  61 


ers  and  presents  a  bristly  appearance,  the  blossoms  com- 
ing up  to  a  spike,  their  color  making  the  tree  look  as  if 
it  had  been  touched  by  the  frost;  it  bears  a  very  nice 
fruit  which  I  have  not  yet  eaten. 

Here  is  how  a  woman  prepares  coffee  for  roasting; 
she  has  a  mortar  made  of  a  log  of  wood  hollowed  out; 
the  dried  berries  are  put  into  the  mortar  and  with  a  thick, 
heavy  wooden  pestle  five  or  six  feet  long  she  pounds  the 
husks  off;  they  are  then  poured  into  a  wide,  shallow 
basket  and  fanned  to  remove  the  chaff,  after  which  they 
are  carefully  picked  out  and  are  ready  for  roasting.  The 
berries  when  ripe  on  the  tree  are  bright  red  and  quite 
pretty. 

I  have  a  very  lovely  view  from  my  bed  room  door. 
About  twenty  paces  off  there  is  a  hedge  of  pines  inter- 
spersed with  orange  and  tamarind  trees.  On  the 
other  side  of  the  hedge  there  is  a  road ;  beyond  it 
are  pine,  cocoa,  cotton  and  rose  trees,  through  which 
I  catch  a  glimpse  of  a  dwelling  used  as  an  infirmary  or 
hospital  when  there  is  any  sickness ;  to  the  right  is  a 
sugar-cane  patch  and  in  the  distance  are  the  hills  of 
Madruga  fringed  with  the  royal  palm.  The  effect  of 
light  and  shade  on  these  hills  in  cloudy  weather  is  beau- 
tiful. At  a  little  distance  under  the  shade  of  an  algoroba 
the  old  women  slaves  are  preparing  sago  or,  as  we  term 
it,  arrow  root.  First  the  root  is  ploughed  up  and  looks 
something  like  a  small  parsnip;  it  is  washed  and  a  thin 
skin  peeled  off,  three  or  four  handfulls  are  then  thrown 
into  the  wooden  mortar,  and  two  old  women  with  their 
clubs  fall  to  and  see  which  can  spatter  the  other  the 
most.     When  beaten  it  becomes  a  white  pulp  which  flies 


62  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

high  and  soon  makes  them  look  like  speckled  hens. 
This  pulp  is  washed  and  strained  repeatedly,  the  arrow- 
root depositing  itself  at  the  bottom  of  the  tub  and  the 
impurities  floating  off  in  the  water.  When  it  looks  clean 
and  white  it  is  spread  out  on  cloths  to  dry  in  the  sun;  it 
is  then  fit  for  use.  It  is  principally  used  for  starch  and 
as  a  food  for  sick  people. 

January  24th. — After  waiting  for  cool  weather  for 
some  weeks  a  favorable  day  was  at  last  prognosticated 
and  preparations  were  made ;  the  turkeys  gasped  their 
last,  the  peas  were  picked,  the  salt,  pepper  and  gridiron 
were  packed,  some  company  invited  to  join  us,  and  our 
long  contemplated  picnic  came  off.  The  day  proved  de- 
lightfully clear  with  wind  enough  to  keep  cool.  At 
seven,  six  horses  were  brought  to  the  door  for  the  eques- 
trians, besides  two  pack  horses  with  provisions  and  two 
slaves  to  wait  on  us.  The  fog  was  still  lingering  on  the 
cane-field  when  we  met  two  more  of  our  party,  with  an- 
other pack  horse  and  slaves,  so  that  we  formed  quite  a 
body  of  cavalry.  We  proceeded  for  a  long  distance  in 
the  highway  or  public  road,  which  from  its  appearance 
you  would  call  a  lane.  You  would  certainly  infer  that 
there  was  not  much  public  travel,  for  it  is  all  overgrown 
with  grass  and  weeds  and  completely  hemmed  in  with 
high  hedges  formed  of  pine  and  pina  raton  which  com- 
pletely exclude  all  view  from  the  country,  so  that  the 
road  is  exceedingly  monotonous  and  void  of  all  interest. 
As  soon,  however,  as  we  left  the  high  road  and  began  to 
ascend,  the  way  was  more  varied.  We  passed  a  tobacco 
patch,  planted  like  cabbage  in  rows  at  regular  intervals 
and  kept  trimmed  to  a  certain   height.      I  saw  a  monkey 


EMMA  J.  BARTOL  63 

bread-fruit  tree  and  a  great  variety  of  palms.  Just  at 
the  foot  of  the  hills  we  passed  through  the  village  of 
Madruga,  the  houses  as  usual  looking  like  barns,  all  of 
one  story  without  chimneys  or  windows ;  the  people 
looked  lazy  and  slovenly,  with  black  hair  and  eyes  and 
olive  complexions.  Here  we  stopped  to  buy  bread 
which  we  found  very  good.  You  would  really  wonder 
what  these  people  lived  on,  for  there  never  seemed  to  be 
any  business  going  on. 

After  breakfast  our  hammock  was  swung  across  the 
brook  and  fastened  to  palm  trees  in  which  we  were  lulled 
to  sleep  by  the  rippling  water  underneath  and  rocked  by 
the  breeze.  We  were  somewhat  unceremoniously  aroused 
from  our  romantic  slumber  by  the  startling  cry  of,  "fire! 
fire  !  the  savannah  is  on  fire! "  and  soon  all  were  on  the 
qui  vive  to  ascertain  the  truth  of  the  report.  I  went  on 
an  exploring  expedition  as  my  poor  dress  will  give  evi- 
dence of;  the  wait-a-bits  caught  hold  of  me  and  gave  my 
dress  a  long  rent  which  employed  me  all  the  next  day 
mending.  The  crackling,  roaring,  smoke  and  blackened 
flakes  soon  gave  evidence  that  some  one  indeed  had  set 
the  savannah  on  fire.  We  tried  in  vain  to  find  a  place, 
to  eat  our  dinner  free  from  smoke,  but  a  smoky  dinner 
we  were  forced  to  eat.  Fortunately  the  fire  was  on  the 
other  side  of  the  stream,  but  the  wind  blew  the  smoke 
in  our  direction.  About  half  an  hour  before  the  sun 
sank  we  mounted  our  steeds.  Unfortunately  we  had  no 
moon,  so  that  it  was  pitch  dark  about  an  hour  before  we 
arrived. 

January   27th. — Just    as    the   sun  was   sinking   the 
horses  were  saddled  and  brought  to  the  door  for  those 


64  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A   TRAVELLER 

who  wished  to  ride.  I  took  the  Rocking  Chair,  so 
named  from  her  easy  gait,  and  E.  took  Zenobia.  This 
evening  we  tried  a  new  route,  along  the  cane  field.  We 
soon  arrived  at  some  bars  which  slide  into  holes  in 
two  upright  posts,  and  were  easily  removed ;  our 
horses  walked  over  the  fallen  bars  and  we  were  in  the  por- 
trero  or  grazing  pastures.  It  being  working  hours,  only 
one  solitary  old  ox  was  left,  who  seemed  to  be  ruminat- 
ing on  the  sorrows  of  old  age,  or  perhaps  on  his  supper. 
This  land,  I  am  told,  is  pending  in  a  law  suit,  and  it 
looks  about  as  forlorn  as  a  suit  in  chancery,  for  it  is  com- 
pletely run  over  with  wait-a-bit  thorn  bushes,  such  as 
are  described  in  Cumming's  travels  in  Africa.  They 
have  most  formidable  thorns,  just  the  shape  of  cat's 
claws,  turning  down  instead  of  upwards,  so  there  is  no 
escape  when  once  you  are  fairly  hooked  in  their  cruel 
embraces.  Here  is  a  clump  of  a  still  more  treacherous 
nature,  for  its  graceful  foliage  and  delicate  little  leaves 
seem  waving  to  fan  your  cheek  ;  but  woe  betide  the  un- 
lucky wight  who  ventures  too  near,  for  those  fine  little 
leaves  are  covered  with  sharp  hooks  so  small  that  if  you  ex- 
amine them  you  would  not  dream  of  danger,  but  let 
this  bewitching  vine  twine  around  you  and  you  will  hard- 
ly get  off  with  a  whole  skin;  it  is  called  tocisia  or  maid- 
catcher.  Here  on  the  left  is  a  lime  tree  in  full  blossom, 
born  to  waste  its  sweetness  on  the  desert  air,  and  all 
along  are  orange  trees  with  the  golden  fruit  hanging  in 
abundance.  I  ride  up  to  each  one  as  I  pass  and, 
plucking  an  orange,  think  of  you  all  at  the  north 
and  throw  it  over  the  tree  for  you  to   catch,  giving  an 


EMMA  J.  BARTOL  65 

extra    pitch     for     those     away     down    East    to    have     a 
chance. 

Count  T.  and  the  Administrator  were  expected  by 
the  Havana  train  and  preparations  were  made  accord- 
ingly. Their  object  in  coming  was  to  see  the  Rillieux 
Sugar  Apparatus  in  operation.  The  Count  did  not 
come  but  his  god-child  came  in  his  stead.  The 
latter  looks  like  an  American,  with  blue  eyes  and 
light  hair,  tall  but  very  slightly  built,  with  the  most 
petite  hands  and  feet.  He  does  not  look  over  twenty 
but  is  married  and  has  two  children.  In  the  evening 
we  made  some  experiments  in  electricity  ;  a  key  was  tied 
into  a  book  with  the  handle  free  ;  two  persons  lifted  the 
handle  by  the  tips  of  the  fore-fingers,  and  one  person 
willing  it  to  go  in  one  direction  it  invariably  turned  that 
way;  if  two  persons  willed  it  in  opposite  directions  it 
would  turn  to  the  order  of  the  one  who  has  most  elec- 
tricity. Then  a  porcelain  wash  bowl  was  placed  on  a  small 
round  table  and  five  persons  in  a  circle  round  the  bowl 
formed  a  chain  by  the  tips  of  their  fingers  ;  lightly  touch- 
ing the  bowl  it  soon  commenced  to  move  in  the  direc- 
tion one  of  the  party  had  willed,  unknown  to  the  rest. 
We  were  told  it  would  rap  the  number  of  people  in  the 
room,  but  it  behaved  like  some  children  and  would  not 
show  off"  in  company. 

January  29th. — We  have  been  to  the  village  church 
for  the  second  time  ;  it  is  distant  about  six  miles  from 
here  over  rough  roads.  The  volante  was  brought  to  the 
door  at  seven  ;  before  starting  we  took  a  small  slice  of 
bread  and  some  coffee.  After  passing  through  our  own 
estate  we  entered  into  the  high-way  or  public  road  which 


66  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

is  all  over-grown  with  grass,  showing  the  small  amount 
of  travel  and  the  spareness  of  the  population.  The  ruts 
are  so  deep  that  no  northern  carriage  could  withstand 
the  shocks.  The  land  was  so  level  and  the  hedges  so 
high  we  saw  nothing  whatever  of  the  surrounding  coun- 
try. We  passed  two  houses  which  appeared  to  me  like 
hovels  but  are  dignified  by  the  name  of  taverns,  where 
they  say  you  can  get  a  very  good  meal  notwithstanding 
the  uninviting  appearance.  In  one  you  can  procure 
the  most  costly  medicines  and  drugs.  They  generally 
keep  an  assortment  of  goods  so  that  they  fill  an  import- 
ant place  in  the  community.  We  passed  a  very  pretty 
avenue  of  palms  leading  to  a  large  estate  called  "  La 
Union,"  and  entered  a  sugar  estate,  formerly  a  coffee 
plantation.  The  cane  had  just  been  cut  and  it  looked 
like  a  corn-field  after  harvest.  There  were  flocks  of  very 
pretty  birds  picking  up  the  worms  ;  they  were  snow  white 
with  long,slender  legs  and  necks,  and  looked  like  miniature 
flamingos  ;  they  are  called  garcalota.  A  number  of  little 
negroes  running  about  in  a  perfect  state  of  nudity,  their 
black  hides  glistening  in  the  sun,  collected  in  knots  to 
stare  at  us  as  we  passed.  Is  it  any  wonder  that  people 
are  so  lazy  where  so  little  is  required  and  so  much  given 
by  nature  ?  We  passed  through  another  estate  and  I 
almost  envied  the  owner  of  the  pretty  house  and  grounds 
around  it.  The  bell  is  hung  on  the  top  of  a  high  pillar 
and  around  its  base  are  little  beds  raised  one  above  the 
other  and  filled  with  flowers  ;  beautiful  flowering  shrubs 
are  around  the  front  door  ;  one  tree  is  completely  cov- 
ered with  large  white  bells  the  size  of  a  teacup.  I  longed 
to  jump  out  of  the  volante  and   help  myself  to  those 


EMMA  J.   BARTOL  67 

scarlet  pomegranites  and  red  lilies.  An  avenue  of  Royal 
Palms  interspersed  with  other  curious  trees  leads  up  to 
the  door. 

After  passing  this  estate  we  soon  arrived  at  the  vil- 
lage which  looks  like  a  collection  of  barns  or  cages  for 
wild  beasts,  not  nearly  so  well  built  as  most  of  our  Penn- 
sylvania barns.  The  houses  have  only  one  story  and 
no  chimneys  and  the  windows  have  no  glass,  but  heavy 
iron  bars  instead.  The  church  looked  very  old  and  dilap- 
idated outside  and  very  bare  inside,  having  only  long, 
wooden,  straight,  high-backed  forms  for  the  men  to  sit 
on,  while  the  women  take  carpets  and  kneel  or  sit  any- 
where on  the  dirty  brick  floor  through  the  whole  service. 
This  lasts  about  half  an  hour  and  is  performed  by  the 
priest  and  the  sacristan  in  a  kind  of  sing-song  recitative 
way.  Back  of  the  altar,  there  was  an  image  of  the  Virgin 
Mary  as  large  as  life,  dressed  in  robes,  with  a  real  flower 
in  her  hand,  with  twenty  candles  burning  before  her 
and  a  great  deal  of  tinsel  around  her.  The  ladies  dress  for 
church  as  for  a  ball,  in  thin  flounced  dresses,  with  bare 
arms  and  necks  and  a  very  large  veil  thrown  over  their 
heads.  We  saw  several  men  pass  with  fighting  cocks 
under  their  arms,  for  Sunday  is  a  great  day  for  cock 
fighting. 

February  1st. — Thermometer  82.  A  chapter  of 
accidents  :  We  started  off  as  usual  this  morning  to  take 
our  ride  and  wended  our  way  to  the  portrero,  which  I 
have  before  described  to  you  as  the  hot-bed  of  wait-a- 
bits.  You  have  heard  of  the  intricacies  of  the  path  lead- 
ing to  Rosamond's  Bower,  but  that  must  have  been 
child's  play  compared  to  the  difficulty  of  finding  the  way 


68  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

out  of  the  portrero  if  you  lose  your  road  as  we  did. 
Beset  on  all  sides  by  long  branches  of  wait-a-bits  reach- 
ing entirely  across  the  pathway,  we  had  quite  an  exciting 
time,  ducking  and  bobbing — the  little  birds  must  have 
thought  us  uncommonly  polite  people — but  one  out- 
rageous branch  more  savage  than  the  rest  caught  me  at 
last  and  unmercifully  tore  my  sleeve  and  shawl,  while  at 
the  same  time  I  received  a  severe  sting  from  some  un- 
known enemy.  It  was  with  difficulty  I  extricated  my- 
self and  we  regained  the  road.  We  passed  some  scarlet 
ipecacuanha,  a  very  pretty  and  a  common  wild  flower 
here.  It  attracted  Harry's  attention  and,  in  trying  to 
gather  it  as  he  passed,  it  dragged  him  off  his  horse  and 
he  fell  into  the  hedge  where  he  roared  lustily.  He  was 
more  mortified  than  hurt  and  was  soon  lifted  on  his 
horse.  We  jogged  on  again,  but  not  peacefully  for  my 
horse  stumbled  and  fell  on  her  knees,  and  my  reins 
breaking  I  was  pitched  off,  but  so  easily  that  I  was  not 
much  hurt  except  being  bruised  by  the  hard  ground. 

February  3rd. — We  have  had  a  delightful  picnic  in 
another  direction  on  the  shore  of  the  Carribean  Sea, 
which  I  found  far  more  interesting  than  the  one  to  the 
hills  of  Madruga.  Towards  the  end  of  the  journey  we 
followed  the  banks  of  the  Caimito,  a  beautiful,  swift 
river  and  so  clear  that  we  could  see  the  fish  swimming  at 
the  bottom  among  the  moss  and  pebbles. 

February  10th. — I  was  sitting  quietly  writing  my 
journal  when  the  door  was  suddenly  opened  and  I  heard 
something  slap  down  at  my  feet  and  looking  saw  a  snake 
about  four  feet  long  wriggling  under  my  chair  !  With 
one  scream  I  bounded  off,  to  the  great  amusement  of  the 


EMMA  J.  BARTOL  69 

children  who  had  found  it  in  the  yard.  They  are  called 
chicken  snakes  from  their  fondness  for  feasting  on  poul- 
try, and  their  bite  is  not  considered  poisonous.  On 
retiring  one  night  we  discovered  a  large  scorpion  crawl- 
ing on  the  mosquito  netting.  These  disagreeable  insects 
are  very  common  but  the  sting  is  not  so  severe  as  it  is 
generally  thought  to  be,  the  pain  not  more  acute  than 
that  occasioned  by  a  wasp  or  bee  and  lasting  about  a 
quarter  of  an  hour.  A  piece  of  garlic  bound  on  the 
wound  is  the  remedy. 

All  of  these  experiences  were  new  and  interesting  to 
me,  as  my  life  heretofore  had  been  of  the  conventional 
type  with  little  of  the  novel  or  unusual.  I  returned 
home  about  the  middle  of  March  and  my  next  visit  to 
the  Island  was  in  i860,  the  year  before  the  breaking  out 
of  our  Civil  War. 


70  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 


CHAPTER  VII. 

It  was  during  these  visits  to  Cuba  that  I  saw  for 
the  first  time  the  terrible  evils  of  slavery.  The  horrible 
cruelties  practiced,  the  immorality,  the  debasing  effects 
of  every  kind,  the  broken-hearted  women — both  white 
and  black — presented  conditions  too  awful  for  me  ever 
adequately  to  put  into  written  words.  I  became  from 
that  time  an  ardent  advocate  of  the  abolition  of  slavery 
in  the  United  States  and  assisted  the  efforts  for  it  by 
every  means  at  my  command. 

My  next  stay  on  the  Island,  of  which  I  find  any 
record,  was  during  the  winter  of  i860,  when  I  spent 
several  months  on  the  Armonia  Estate,  twelve  hours 
distant  from  Havana,  Mr.  Bartol  being  there  a  part  of 
the  time  looking  after  business  interests.  A  few  extracts 
from  my  diary  will  give  an  idea  of  the  daily  life  and 
existing  conditions  in  those  days. 

January  1st,  i860. — We  rode  on  horseback  to  the 
portrero,  a  tract  of  wild  uncultivated  land,  covered  with 
scrub  bushes,  to  obtain  clematis  to  decorate  the  house 
for  New  Year's  Day.  The  slaves  had  a  holiday  and  in 
the  afternoon  we  went  to  the  sugar  house  to  see  them 
perform  their  native  dance.  It  is  customary  to  give 
small  sums  of  money  to  them  on  this  day. 

January  3rd. — Rain  all  day.  The  children  amused 
themselves  making  cocoanut  duke.  On  putting  my 
little  daughter  to  bed  I  found  an  unwelcome  visitor  be- 


EMMA  J.   BARTOL  71 


tween  the  sheets,  a  cock-roach  four-and-half  inches  long 
and  two  inches  wide,  which  was  speedily  despatched. 

January  4th. — Still  cloudy  and  dull  with  rain.  I 
study  and  sew,  but  the  weather  clearing  in  the  afternoon 
we  all  go  riding,  a  pleasant  way  of  breaking  the  monotony 
of  the  day. 

January  5th. — Our  ride  this  morning  led  us  through  a 
grove  of  tempting  guavas  to  which  we  helped  ourselves  as 
we  rode  under  the  trees.  They  are  about  the  size  of  a 
peach  tree  and  one  can  easily  pluck  the  fruit  on  horseback. 
We  passed  some  anatto  trees  and  saw  flocks  of  wild 
parrots  who  live  on  these  fruits. 

January  7th. — The  cane  cutting  had  just  com- 
menced and  the  new  machinery  started  for  the  season, 
when  a  catastrophe  occurred  which  proved  disastrous  in 
more  ways  than  one.  The  slaves  were  divided  into 
gangs  for  working  night  and  day.  Suddenly  in  the 
night  the  machinery  stopped  and  on  investigation  it  was 
discovered  that  a  large  iron  crow-bar  had  been  thrown  in 
between  the  cylinders  that  ground  the  cane.  Of  course 
all  work  had  to  be  stopped  until  it  was  removed  and 
the  machinery  repaired.  Question  :  who  threw  in  the 
crow-bar  ?  Of  course  no  one  knew.  It  was  an 
abominable  trick  and  evidently  done  for  spite.  The 
cane  cutting  commences  before  the  machinery  starts. 
While  one  gang  is  cutting  another  gang  loads  the  carts 
and  another  brings  the  laden  carts  to  the  mill  where  the 
cane  is  fed  to  the  crushers.  Sugar-cane  sours  very  quickly, 
therefore  a  stoppage  of  the  routine  in  any  way  is 
disastrous  all  round,  for  every  part  of  the  process  de- 
pends on  the  other  ;  it  is  success  or  ruin,  for  the  gangs 


72  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

work  day  and  night.  As  no  one  would  or  could  tell 
who  threw  the  crow-bar  into  the  mill,  the  administrator 
(or  manager)  ordered  the  whole  gang  to  be  whipped 
every  day  till  some  one  gave  the  desired  information. 
These  gangs  were  composed  of  men,  women  and  half- 
grown  children  and  as  it  was  very  unlikely  that  the  two 
last  knew  who  did  it,  the  punishment  was  most  cruel 
and  unjust.  It  is  the  custom  to  set  aside  Sunday  for 
whipping  and  when  anything  of  this  sort  is  going  to  be 
done  word  is  sent  to  the  neighboring  estates,  and  all  the 
engineers,  machinists  and  others  come  to  witness  the 
barbarous  spectacle. 

January  8th,  Sunday. — I  discovered  that  a  number 
of  engineers  and  others  were  expected  to  see  the  third  of 
these  whippings,  which  was  to  take  place  in  the  after- 
noon, and  that  among  the  victims  were  to  be  a  number 
of  women  and  girls.  On  the  previous  occasions  I  had 
been  taken  afterwards  to  the  infirmary  and  had  seen  the 
suffering  inflicted  by  these  brutal  floggings — the  poor 
creatures  stretched  on  boards  slightly  inclined,  chained 
hand  and  foot  and  unable  to  turn  on  their  lacerated 
backs,  on  which  vinegar  had  been  poured  immediately 
to  prevent  mortification.  When  I  thought  of  it,  and  of 
the  injustice  and  cruelty  and  dreadful  sufFering,  it  made 
me  sick  at  heart,  I  could  not  restrain  my  tears  and — as 
for  breakfast — I  could  not  eat,  and  I  would  not  face  the 
administrator  and  say  "  Good  morning"  ;  so  I  walked 
the  floor  in  agony,  fearing  every  moment  to  hear  the 
shrieks  of  those  poor,  mangled  creatures,  whose  backs 
had  not  recovered  from  the  other  two  whippings.  I 
finally    expressed  myself  strongly   at    this   torturing  of 


EMMA  J.  BARTOL  73 

innocent  creatures  and  at  last  succeeded  in  having  these 
especial  floggings  discontinued.  Afterwards  other  whip- 
pings were  removed  so  far  away  that  I  could  not  hear 
them,  but  the  knowledge  that  they  were  going  on  made 
me  very  miserable. 

That  slavery  is  an  unmitigated  curse,  no  one  who 
has  lived  under  it  can  deny.  The  slaves  belong  to  an 
inferior  race  and  must  yield  to  the  superior  intellect  of 
the  Caucasian  races  ;  but  slavery  debases  the  white  man 
also,  as  all  who  have  lived  under  its  baneful  influences 
will  admit.  When  the  passions  are  aroused  with  no  laws 
to  control  them,  then  crime  is  rampant  and  life  insecure. 
An  administrator  on  an  estate  adjacent  to  this  was  way- 
laid while  returning  home  and  cut  with  a  machette  so 
terribly  that  he  was  a  sufferer  for  life.  The  mayoral  (or 
overseer)  rides  on  horseback  close  by  the  gang  cutting 
cane,  with  a  long  whip  in  his  hand,  and  if  one  loiters  the 
lash  descends  on  the  delinquent's  back.  Such  is  life  on 
a  slave  plantation.  There  are  intrigues  without  and 
within  and,  although  there  are  no  daily  papers  to  tell  of 
what  is  transpiring,  the  news  travels  from  estate  to  estate 
with  lightning  rapidity,  no  one  knows  how.  Of  course 
there  are  all  kinds  of  administrators,  some  more  just  and 
merciful  than  others,  but  all  in  the  main  hard  and  cruel, 
and  the  slaves  are  wholly  subject  to  the  caprice  of  those 
in  authority  over  them. 

One  of  the  annoyances  of  a  warm  climate  is  found 
in  the  insects  of  which  the  "  chigger "  is  perhaps  the 
most  disagreeable  ;  it  is  very  minute,  hops  like  a  flea  and 
is  not  unlike  it  in  appearance  and  actions,  except  much 
smaller.       These    pests    usually     attack     the    toes,    and 


74  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

occasionally  the  fingers.  They  bury  themselves  under 
the  nails  and,  if  not  removed,  they  live  and  breed,  some- 
times causing  the  loss  of  fingers  or  toes  unless  they  are 
taken  out  at  once.  One  morning  I  was  awakened  with 
the  stinging  sensation  caused  by  the  burrowing  of  this 
insect  and,  having  been  warned  of  its  habits,  I  hastened 
out  of  bed  to  seek  a  slave  to  extract  the  "  varmint." 
The  slaves  are  particularly  expert  and  relieve  one  quickly 
without  pain. 

January  iith. — While  bathing  the  baby  a  large 
scorpion  came  running  along  towards  the  bath  tub  ;  it  is 
needless  to  add  that  the  baby  came  out  and  Mr.  Scorpion 
went  in  and  was  drowned.  One  soon  learns  not  to  mind 
these  little  annoyances  ! 

Sunday,  15th. — Information  came  that  the  cane 
patch  is  on  fire ;  it  is  a  grand  sight  and  yet  fearful  for  no 
one  knows  when  or  where  it  will  end. 

January  17th. — I  went  to  the  engine  house  and  had 
a  long  talk  with  the  administrator,  who  insists  that  whip- 
ping the  slaves  is  all  right.  I  know  of  cases  where  he 
has  it  done  to  hide  his  own  delinquencies,  when  through 
his  own  carelessness  he  alone  was  to  blame. 

January  1  8th. — This  morning  I  rose  early,  as  is  the 
custom  in  tropical  countries.  The  family  partook  of 
coffee  as  usual,  but  instead  of  it  I  took  an  orange,  which 
I  had  put  out  in  the  dew  over  night  that  it  might  be 
cold  and  refreshing.  The  horses  were  all  saddled  and 
waiting  for  us  and  I  enjoyed  my  morning  gallop  even 
more  than  ordinarily. 

January  19th. — Emily,  a  mulatto,  the  daughter  of 
an  engineer  by  a  slave  woman  and    my  children's  nurse, 


EMMA  J.   BARTOL  75 

complained  that  our  waitress  played  a  trick  on  her.  To 
please  Emily,  who  was  a  great  favorite,  the  order  was 
issued  to  give  Bernada  thirty-five  lashes,  and  then  to 
send  her  into  the  field  with  the  gang,  which  was  a  terri- 
ble punishment  to  the  house  servants.  What  was  still 
more  unfortunate  was  that  the  mayoral,  whose  business 
it  is  to  do  the  whipping,  happened  to  be  a  discarded 
lover  of  hers.  There  is  whipping  and  whipping,  the 
lash  can  be  laid  on  softly  or  heavily.  Poor  creature,  she 
was  in  the  hospital  three  weeks  where  I  saw  her  lying  on 
a  slanting  board,  not  able  to  lie  on  her  cut  back,  and 
chained  hand  and  foot.  Slavery  is  terrible  !  A  little 
girl  twelve  years  old  was  ordered  to  take  care  of  some 
ducklings  and  see  that  a  tub  was  kept  full  of  water  for 
them  ;  one  day  she  neglected  to  fill  the  tub;  immediately 
the  order  to  whip  the  child  was  given  ;  she  was  thrown 
on  the  ground,  two  women  held  her  hands  and  feet  while 
a  third  administered  the  whipping.  A  poor,  lame,  old 
man,  whose  business  it  was  to  weed  the  garden,  sat  down 
under  a  tree  in  the  afternoon  and  fell  asleep ;  he  was 
caught  napping  and  the  order  was  given  to  whip  him. 
Thus  are  slaves  subject  to  the  tyranny  and  humors  of 
their  masters  without  any  redress. 

January  31st. — I  have  before  mentioned  that  there 
are  few  windows  with  glass  in  them,  but  they  generally 
have  Venetian  shutters  which  are  closed  and  barred  at 
bed-time.  One  night  on  retiring  I  went  to  close  them 
as  usual  but  could  not  do  so  and  on  investigation  found 
a  large  snake  wriggling  in  and  out  of  the  slats.     As  there 


76  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

are  few  poisonous  snakes  in  Cuba  no  one  seems  to  mind 
them. 

February  14th. — I  will  mention  some  trifling  things 
that  occasionally  occur  in  a  tropical  country.  It  was  the 
custom  for  the  chambermaid  to  fill  our  wash-bowl  full  of 
water  to  save  us  the  trouble  of  lifting  the  heavy  pitchers. 
On  one  occasion  in  going  into  my  room  I  found  four 
frogs,  "  who  would  a  wooing  go,"  perched  on  my  bowl 
preparatory  to  taking  a  dive — as  one  did  on  my  disturb- 
ing appearance.  The  same  evening  one  of  the  young 
ladies  found  a  tarantula  in  her  bedroom.  On  another 
night,  going  without  a  light  for  something  I  wanted  from 
a  large  wardrobe,  when  I  attempted  to  shut  the  door  I 
was  surprised  by  a  squeaking  noise  and,  on  obtaining  a 
light,  discovered  that  another  frog  had  jumped  onto  the 
door  just  as  I  closed  it  and  was  held  fast.  I  had  evi- 
dently caught  him  by  one  foot  just  as  he  had  jumped. 
Frogs  seem  to  be  attracted  by  the  light,  for  often  when 
we  were  sitting  round  the  centre  table  a  thud  would  be 
heard  and  we  would  see  a  frog  alighting  near  by.  Some- 
times there  would  be  terrible  squeaks  from  under  the 
table  and  we  would  find  puss  with  the  hindlegs  of  poor 
Mr.  Frog  just  disappearing  down  her  throat.  The 
Cuban  cats  eat  frogs,  lizards  and  chameleons.  On  one 
estate  where  I  lived  there  were  over  twenty  house  cats 
and  one  of  them,  a  favorite,  had  a  high  chair  which  he 
occupied  at  the  table  during  every  meal. 

February  16th. — Our  usual  morning  ride  was  diver- 
sified by  seeing  the  capture  of  a  runaway  slave.  We 
came  across  some  very  large  oranges  which  measured 
thirteen-and-a-half  inches  around.     An   immense    quan- 


EMMA  J.   BARTOL  77 

tity  of  poultry  is  raised,  especially  turkeys  ;  they  are 
housed  at  night  in  an  immense  barn,  well  ventilated, 
with  slats  all  around,  and  are  never  allowed  out  when  it 
rains  or  until  the  dew  of  the  morning  is  dry.  They  also 
tame  and  make  pets  of  crows. 

April  20th. — Left  the  Armonia  for  Matanzas  to  sail 
in  the  Bark  "  Hamilton,"  Captain  Stotesbury  command- 
ing. On  the  following  day  we  went  on  board  and  slowly 
drifted  out  of  the  harbor.  The  heat  was  intense  and  it  was 
very  calm  for  five  days  and  nights.  After  I  had  retired 
to  my  cabin  on  the  night  of  the  26th,  the  mate  knocked 
at  my  door  with  the  request  that  I  would  come  on  deck, 
as  he  wished  to  show  me  something.  Accordingly  I 
partly  dressed  and  joined  him  on  deck.  The  night  was 
quite  still  with  a  perfectly  clear  sky,  and  the  heavens 
were  an  intense,  dark  blue  in  which  the  moon  was  sail- 
ing. The  planet  Venus  was  about  passing  behind  the 
moon  and  this  was  such  an  unusual  occurrence  that  the 
mate  wished  me  to  come  and  see  it.  It  was  well  worth 
the  trouble  for  it  was  a  picture  which  I  have  never  for- 
gotten. Indeed  I  had  good  cause  to  remember  it  for  it 
was  followed  on  the  27th  by  a  gale  which  proved  a 
memorable  one.  The  next  day  it  continued  with  re- 
newed violence  and  blew  the  sails  to  ribbons  while  it 
rained  incessantly  and  grew  very  cold.  On  Sunday 
there  was  no  abatement  and  the  decks  were  continually 
washed  with  huge  waves.  The  bark  was  hove  to  and 
for  two  days  we  lay  rocking  on  the  billows  with  the  sea 
mountains  high.  It  was  impossible  to  cook  in  the  galley 
or  even  for  the  sailors  to  bring  us  food.  The  children 
could  not  leave  the  berths  and  in  attempting  to  wait  on 


y8  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

the  baby  I  was  hurled  across  the  state  room  and  three  of 
my  fingers  were  so  nearly  broken  that  they  were  months 
in  recovering.  To  add  to  our  discomfort  everything 
was  drenched.  The  bark  had  been  lying  in  port  so  long 
in  the  sun,  while  waiting  for  a  cargo,  that  all  the  seams 
had  opened  and  the  water  ran  everywhere  in  rivulets. 
The  pumps  had  to  be  kept  going  constantly  to  prevent 
the  ship  from  foundering.  If  I  fell  asleep  in  the  night 
and  the  men  stopped  pumping  I  would  awake  im- 
mediately to  see  what  was  the  matter,  for  the  Captain 
had  told  me  the  vessel  would  sink  if  anything  happened 
to  prevent  the  pumps  from  working,  The  men  would 
assure  me  that  the  pumps  were  only  choked,  and  then  I 
would  fall  asleep  again. 

The  first  of  May  was  a  sorry  May-day  for  us.  The 
Captain  came  with  the  American  flag  to  our  cabin  and 
said,  "  This  is  the  last  dry  thing  I  have  to  cover  you 
with."  There  was  another  vessel  near  by,  but  when  in 
the  trough  of  the  sea  we  could  not  see  even  the  top  of 
the  masts.  For  five  days  we  saw  nothing  but  the  waves 
rushing  past  our  cabin  windows,  and  over  and  over  I 
said,  "  Never  again  will  I  put  myself  where  there  is 
nothing  but  a  plank  between  me  and  the  ocean  !"  But 
all  things  have  an  end,  and  a  severe  thunder  storm 
ended  the  gale.  The  fifth  of  May  was  the  first  day 
that  we  could  go  up  on  deck.  On  the  seventh  another 
thunder  storm  descended  which  was  succeeded  by  a 
dense  fog.  Every  vessel  we  met  was  dismasted  or  dis- 
abled in  some  way  and  was  putting  into  some  port  for 
repairs.  We  weathered  the  storms  and  at  last  anchored 
in  the  harbor  ot  Philadelphia.      I   need  scarcely  say  that 


EMMA  J.  BARTOL  79 


everybody  had  given  us  up  for  lost  and  great  surprise 
and  pleasure  were  manifested  at  our  reaching  port  safe 
and  well. 


8o  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

In  January,  1867,  Mr.  Bartol  resigned  his  position 
with  the  Southwark  Foundry  after  being  connected  with 
it  almost  twenty  years,  during  which  time  he  had  per- 
sonally supervised  the  erection  of  works  of  great  import- 
ance in  many  parts  of  the  country,  gas  works,  sugar 
machinery,  steel  works,  the  machinery  for  war  ships,  etc. 
Henceforth  he  gave  his  time  to  his  own  business  inter- 
ests which  now  had  a  large  scope.  In  the  spring  we 
went  to  Europe,  spending  considerable  time  at  the  Paris 
Exposition  and  remaining  about  a  year. 

In  the  Spring  of  1869  we  went  to  Washington  to 
witness  the  second  inauguration  of  President  Grant  and 
remained  for  a  while  at  the  Arlington  Hotel.  After  re- 
turning home  I  had  an  illness  of  several  months  and 
Dr.  Emmet,  (the  celebrated  surgeon,  who  was  physician 
to  Empress  Eugenie  and  at  a  later  date  assisted  her  to 
escape  from  The  Tuileries  to  England,)  strongly  advised 
my  going  to  Europe  for  a  year  or  two,  in  order  to  have 
a  complete  change  of  air  and  scene.  I  was  most  im- 
patient to  go  and  my  husband  said,  "  You  can  start 
when  you  are  able  to  pack  your  own  trunks."  I  had 
the  trunks  and  my  belongings  brought  to  the  side  of  my 
couch  and  packed  them,  and  soon  started  with  my 
youngest  son  eleven  years  old,  whom  I  was  to  place  in 
school. 

We  sailed  August  10  on  the  "  Cimbria."  At  the 
hour  of  starting  we  learned  that  the  sister  steamship,  the 


EMMA  J.  BARTOL  81 

"  Germania,"  had  been  completely  wrecked  on  the  rocky 
cliffs  of  Newfoundland  and  that  we  were  to  stop  at  St- 
John's  and  take  on  her  passengers  and  cargo.  The 
entries  made  in  my  journal  give  a  good  idea  of  the  aver- 
age voyage  across  the  Atlantic.  As  I  never  surfer  in  the 
slightest  from  mal-de-mer,  an  ocean  trip  is  always  a 
delightful  experience  and  I  enjoy  to  the  fullest  the  com- 
plete exemption  from  the  harassing  details  of  daily  life 
which  one  cannot  escape  when  on  land. 

August  1 2th,  13th. —  Magnificent  weather  but  a 
heavy  swell  off  the  gulf  of  St.  Lawrence.  Many  whales 
disporting  in  the  rolling  waters.  Sighted  land  at  daybreak 
on  the  14th,  and  soon  the  temperature  fell  and  we  saw 
an  enormous  iceberg  whose  spires  and  turrets  looked 
like  a  phantom  castle. 

August  15th. — After  a  day  of  continual  delays  we 
finally  entered  the  harbor  of  St.  John's  ;  guarded  by 
two  enormous  rocks.  A  pilot  guided  us  until  our  anchor 
was  dropped  close  to  the  town.  Soon  a  little  steamer 
brought  the  wrecked  passengers,  together  with  quantities 
of  fresh  provisions. 

August  1 6th. — Cold  and  rainy  with  heavy  swell 
which  made  it  impossible  to  walk  on  deck  or  even  to  sit 
still,  and  we  were  continually  pitched  off  the  sofas  and 
chairs  unless  braced  against  something — a  perfectly 
wretched  day.  Many  of  the  passengers  of  the  wrecked 
"  Germania"  were  ill,  from  exposure  to  the  cold  and 
from  nervousness  at  being  wrecked,  and  the  physician 
had  more  patients  than  he  could  attend  to.  Fortunately 
I  had  a  book  and  box  of  homoeopathic  remedies  which 
proved  of  great  value  and   comfort  to  many  who   pre- 


82  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

ferred  that  treatment,  and  I  soon  became  known  as  "  the 
ship's  doctor." 

August  1 7th. — Calm  and  clear  with  wind  and  waves 
driving  us  smoothly  on,  a  great  relief  after  being  bat- 
tered and  tossed  about  unmercifully  for  two  days  and 
nights.  We  were  cheered  by  a  beautiful  sunset  followed 
by  a  full  moon.  An  old,  asthmatic  organ  furnished 
some  dance  music  which  set  the  young  people  dancing 
till  the  lights  were  put  out.  The  older  people  played 
cards  and  I  enjoyed  a  game  of  bezique  with  a  French 
gentleman. 

August  1 8th. — A  calm  sea  and  a  beautiful  clear  day 
brought  most  of  the  passengers  on  deck  and  steamer 
chairs  were  at  a  premium.  The  frozen  lips  of  the  terri- 
fied, wrecked  passengers  were  thawed  out  and  mutual 
friends  were  discovered,  to  whom  they  told  the  history 
of  the  wreck.  It  was  the  old,  old  story,  they  said,  of 
the  fascinations  of  a  bewitching  widow  and  a  Captain 
beguiled  to  the  neglect  of  his  ship. 

With  sunny  days  and  favoring  gales  our  voyage 
slipped  by  all  too  quickly  and  on  August  20th  we 
anchored  at  Plymouth,  England,  leaving  some  of  our 
passengers  and  taking  on  others.  We  then  steamed  on 
and  after  breakfast  sighted  the  Island  of  Alderney,  then 
two  light-houses,  at  last  the  coast  of  France,  and  finally 
entered  the  fine  harbor  of  Cherbourg,  where  we  remained 
for  a  time  and  then  continued  our  eastward  journey. 

August  23d. — We  arrived  at  Hamburg  at  two  in 
the  afternoon  and  our  baggage  was  soon  piled  on  the 
wharf.     We  sent  our  letters  of  introduction   to   friends 


EMMA  J.   BARTQL  83 

who    called    an   hour   afterwards,  in    the   kindly  German 
fashion. 

After  seeing  the  sights  of  Hamburg  we  left  on  the 
26th  for  Bonn,  where  we  arrived  the  next  morning.  It 
was  too  rainy  for  sight  seeing.  The  following  day  it 
cleared  after  breakfast,  and  we  met  friends  at  the  steamer 
and  had  a  beautiful  sail  on  the  Rhine.  After  a  while  we 
landed,  and,  finding  a  number  of  donkeys  with  a  kind  of 
chair  strapped  on  their  backs  for  people  who  did  not 
wish  to  walk,  we  each  hired  one  to  ride  to  the  top  of  the 
Drachenfels.  After  an  hour  of  anything  but  easy  riding 
we  reached  the  top,  where  the  view  was  grand.  On 
descending  we  stopped  at  a  small  inn,  where  we  found 
good  Rhine  wine  and  bread  for  three  cents  each. 

We  spent  many  delightful  afternoons  visiting  the 
endless  places  of  interest  which  line  this  picturesque  river 
on  either  side  and  cluster  around  this  old,  historic  town 
of  Bonn.  It  is  not  only  the  seat  of  a  great  university 
but  contains  several  noted  preparatory  schools.  We  had 
no  trouble  in  selecting  one  of  the  latter,  but  the  question 
of  settling  ourselves  into  a  comfortable,  homelike  way  of 
living  presented  greater  difficulties.  We  tried  various 
methods  without  success  and  finally  decided  to  go  to 
another  part  of  Germany.  To  cap  the  climax  of  our  ex- 
periences here  the  proprietor  of  our  last  hotel,  where  we 
stayed  only  six  days,  demanded  pay  for  two  weeks  and 
held  our  baggage  until  I  appealed  to  my  bankers,  who 
compelled  him  to  release  it. 

We  then  went  to  Cologne  and  later  took  a  steamer 
to  go  up  the  Rhine.  An  incident  which  occurred  during 
this  trip  may  be  related  as  an  illustration  of  similar  cases 


84  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

which  one  often  meets  in  travelling  abroad.  I  happened 
to  address  a  remark  to  a  woman  sitting  near  me  and  she 
exclaimed  :  "  Oh,  I  am  so  glad  to  hear  some  one  speak 
English;  it  is  the  first  time  since  I  arrived  in  Germany." 
The  conversation  went  on  and  I  learned  she  was  from 
Chicago  and  was  travelling  with  her  brother  and  his  wife  ; 
she  had  been  a  public  school  teacher,  but  her  brother 
owned  some  land  which  had  become  very  valuable  and 
made  him  rich.  His  friends  all  said  that  now  he  must 
leave  offshoemaking  and  travel,  so  here  they  were,  doing 
Europe.  The  sister  having  been  a  teacher,  knew  enough 
to  be  quite  aware  that  they  were  too  ignorant  about 
much  that  they  saw  to  be  able  to  appreciate  and  enjoy  it. 
I  asked  her  what  they  were  going  to  do  when  they 
arrived  at  Mayence  ?  "  Oh,"  she  said,  "what  we  always 
do,  go  to  a  hotel  and  sleep  and  eat  and  go  on  the  next 
day  to  some  other  place."  I  said,  "  There  is  much  to 
see  in  Mayence,  the  fortifications,  the  Cathedral,  &c. 
"  Oh,  dear,"  she  answered,  "  I  wish  you  would  go  with 
us  for  awhile.  Are  you  going  further  ?"  I  replied  that 
as  soon  as  we  arrived  we  might  take  a  carriage  together 
and  that  my  son  who  spoke  German,  could  sit  on  the 
box  with  the  coachman  and  ask  him  to  point  out  what 
was  to  be  seen  of  interest  and  then  translate  what  he 
said.  "  But  you  must  go  to  your  brother  and  ask  if  he 
is  willing ;  I  cannot  do  that,"  I  said.  Off  she  went  and 
got  his  consent,  and  so  when  we  arrived  at  Mayence  we 
all  took  a  carriage  and  started  to  see  the  Cathedral  first. 
Fine  old  paintings  adorned  the  walls  and  I  had  the 
curiosity  to  watch  the  effect  on  them,  but  soon  saw  that 
they  showed  no  interest.     It   was   evident  they    did  not 


EMMA  J.  BARTOL  85 

understand  what  they  saw,  for  they  walked  up  one  aisle 
and  down  the  other  and  out  as  quickly  as  possible.  We 
soon  parted  company. 

Those  who  enjoy  Europe  the  most  are  those  who 
are  best  read  in  ancient  history.  Others,  like  these  poor 
creatures,  go  on  and  on  from  place  to  place,  with  eyes  to 
see  but  see  not.  My  son  and  I  visited  the  interesting 
points  in  and  about  Mayence  and  then  left  for  Heidel- 
berg. Of  course  we  went  first  of  all  to  the  Castle — that 
magnificent  ruin.  We  afterward  took  long  drives  by  the 
beautiful  River  Neckar,  and  later  went  to  Stuttgart.  I 
greatly  enjoyed  this  curious  old  city  and  its  environs, 
and  especially  the  strolls  by  the  river.  Great  prepara- 
tions were  being  made  for  the  birthday  of  the  King, 
triumphal  arches  of  greens  were  being  arranged  and  the 
country  folk  were  arriving  in  crowds.  Later  on  there 
were  grand  illuminations  of  the  grounds  and  the  foun- 
tains were  lighted  up  with  iridescent  colors,  the  effect 
being  most  beautiful.  Sunday  we  went  to  the  Royal 
Chapel  where  we  saw  the  King  and  Queen  and  royal 
family  and  the  Court.  It  was  so  crowded  we  adjourned 
to  the  English  Chapel  and  found  it  a  perfect  little  gem 
of  a  building. 

The  next  day  we  went  to  Rosenstein  but  found  the 
Queen  had  just  arrived  and  no  one  was  allowed  to  go 
into  the  palace  that  day.  We  then  went  to  the  Cann- 
stader  Festival  and  from  there  to  the  Greek  Church  sit- 
uated up  the  mountain  side,  a  handsome  building  con- 
taining pictures  in  solid  gold  frames  and  the  pictures 
themselves  inlaid  with  pearls,  amethysts,  rubies  and 
diamonds.  Another  day  we  saw  all  the  Court  go  out 
for  a  ride  to  Cannstadt  and  went  there  ourselves  to  see 


86  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

the  races.  We  watched  with  much  interest  a  funeral 
where  the  mourners,  carrying  pots  of  flowers  and  wreaths, 
walked  behind  the  coffin  which  was  wrapped  in  white 
silk  and  covered  with  masses  of  flowers.  One  day  we 
made  up  a  party  and  visited  Wilhelma,  a  Moorish  villa, 
and  then  went  to  Rosenstein  and  saw  the  paintings  and 
statuary  and  the  gardens  which  were  a  dream  of  beauty. 

Walking  on  stilts  being  a  fad  of  the  day  with  boys, 
of  course  my  own  boy  tried  to  follow  the  fashion,  but 
before  long  he  fell  and  ran  to  my  room  as  white  as  a 
sheet  with  his  arm  dangling  by  his  side.  The  doctor 
was  sent  for  and  the  broken  arm  set,  and  then  came  the 
long  tedious  days  when  he  must  be  amused  while  the 
bones  were  "  knitting."  We  were  most  comfortably 
cared  for  in  the  home  of  one  of  the  university  professors, 
who  admitted  into  his  family  a  few  Americans  and 
English  who  wished  to  learn  the  German  language. 

One  afternoon  we  took  the  cars  for  Unterturckheim 
and  then  walked  to  Oberturckheim.  The  afternoon  sun 
lighted  up  the  Swabian  Alps  ;  to  the  right  lay  the  pic- 
turesque villages  of  Hoenheim  and  Uhlback.  It  is  re- 
lated that  in  one  of  the  wars  the  French  took  these  vil- 
lages, which  are  noted  for  their  wine,  entered  the  cellars 
and  broke  the  bottles  and  spilled  the  wine,  and  shouted 
that  they  wanted  champagne.  Later  on  in  a  subsequent 
war,  when  the  Germans  took  Paris,  the  soldiers  returned 
the  compliment  by  pouring  out  the  French  champagne 
and  crying,  "  This  is  for  spilling  Wiirtemburg  wine  !" 
The  laws  are  very  strict  in  regard  to  the  vineyards  and 
grapes.  Many  of  the  roads  are  enclosed  with  high  stone 
walls,  on  the  other   side  of  which  are   vineyards.     Fre- 


EMM  J  J.   BARTOL  87 

quently  vines  with  bunches  of  grapes  hang  over  the  walls 
along  the  public  road,  but  there  is  a  heavy  fine  for  taking 
a  single  bunch.  In  order  to  secure  good  wine  from  ripe 
grapes,  none  can  be  picked  until  the  Mayor  gives  public 
notice  that  the  vintage  may  begin.  It  happened  that  the 
vintage  season  was  now  at  its  height ;  the  streets  were 
full  of  vats  and  immense  wooden  tubs,  into  which  were 
poured  the  grapes  picked  from  the  vines  ;  then,  with 
their  trousers  rolled  up,  men  jumped  into  the  tubs  with 
naked  feet  and  mashed  them  into  a  pulp,  which  was  sub- 
sequently thrown  into  a  press  to  squeeze  out  the  juice. 
We  stopped  to  see  the  novel  process  and  some  were 
courageous  enough  to  take  some  of  the  new  wine  with  a 
luncheon  of  bread  and  butter. 

One  evening  just  before  Christmas,  while  we  were 
eating  supper,  the  door  was  opened  by  three  children 
about  ten  or  twelve  years  old,  dressed  in  white  with 
golden  crowns  on  their  heads,  two  with  white  veils,  and 
one  with  black.  Without  any  introduction  they  com- 
menced singing  hymns  of  the  coming  of  Christ,  and  we 
learned  that  they  were  supposed  to  represent  the  three 
wise  men  of  the  East  who  came  to  worship  him.  They 
go  from  house  to  house  and  expect  money  to  be  given 
them. 

This  proved  to  be  a  very  sad  Christmas,  for 
several  of  the  children  were  ill.  Two  of  the  Pro- 
fessor's died — Carlos,  a  beautiful  boy  of  eight  years, 
and  his  sister,  an  unusually  intelligent  girl  of  six.  The 
poor  little  thing  in  her  delirium  kept  repeating  the  Latin 
verbs  she  had  been  learning  at  school,  and  we  all  thought 
the  children   had   been   taxed   too   severely.     Christmas 


88  RECOLLECTIONS   OF  A  TRAVELLER 

Eve  saw  them  lying  in  their  little  yellow  coffins,  dressed 
in  paper  muslin,  the  long  sleeves  pinked  at  the  wrist  and 
the  robe  trimmed  with  cotton  lace  rosettes  down  the 
front  and  a  ruffle  round  the  throat.  The  coffins  were 
covered  with  bouquets  and  crosses  of  colored  artificial 
flowers  and  other  ornaments,  with  black  and  white 
ribbons  and  silver  filagree. 

I  was  very  much  out  of  health  at  this  time  and  went 
to  Strassburg  to  consult  an  eminent  physician.  On 
New  Year's  Day  the  doctor  brought  me  a  box  of  candy, 
with  many  French  expressions  of  politeness,  and  I  car- 
ried it  with  me  when  I  returned  to  Stuttgart.  When  we 
stopped  at  the  frontier  to  have  our  trunks  examined  the 
officer  spied  my  little  half  empty  box  of  candy,  declared 
it  was  contraband  and  that  I  was  smuggling,  and  made 
me  pay  over  sixteen  francs,  which  was  an  outrage. 

In  many  German  homes  one  finds  small  aquariums 
containing  aquatic  plants,  rocks  and  frogs,  with  a  small 
ladder  reaching  from  the  bottom  to  the  top,  on  which 
the  frogs  climb  up  or  down  according  to  the  weather. 
When  it  is  going  to  rain  they  go  to  the  top  of  the 
ladder  and  look  out ;  when  it  is  fine,  they  lie  at  the 
bottom ;  they  are  in  fact  living  barometers  which  the 
families  consult  when  wishing  to  go  on  a  pedestrian  tour. 

It  was  so  warm  and  lovely  during  these  winter  days 
that  we  sat  with  open  windows  and  made  many  excur- 
sions. We  went  with  a  large  party  to  visit  Hoehnheim, 
the  royal  farms  and  also  the  royal  hunting  lodge  where 
the  Arabian  Stud  of  horses  was  kept.  The  cow  stables 
were  very  long,  the  cows  standing  in  rows  face  to  face, 
with  the  mangers  in  the  middle.      The  ventilation    was 


EMMA  J.  BARTOL  Sp 


good  and  the  cleanliness  and  drainage  perfect.  This  is 
more  than  could  be  said  of  most  of  the  homes,  for  sani- 
tary conditions  were  but  poorly  attended  to.  The  chil- 
dren were  washed  once  a  week,  all  in  the  same  water  in 
a  small  wooden  tub.  There  were  no  provisions  for 
baths  for  grown  people  in  the  home.  If  one  wished  for 
a  bath,  one  must  go  to  the  public  bath-house  to  get  it. 
Sanitary  conditions  have  been  much  improved  in  Ger- 
many since  that  time  (1870.) 

The  last  of  March  I  left  Stuttgart  and  went  to 
Heidelberg  to  place  my  son  in  a  boarding  school  at 
Weinheim,  near  there,  as  I  contemplated  leaving  him 
and  take  a  trip  into  Switzerland. 

It  is  quite  an  event  in  Germany  when  the  storks 
arrive  to  build  their  nests  in  the  chimney  tops  of  the 
houses,  for  their  advent  is  looked  upon  as  the  harbinger 
of  spring  and  fine  weather.  The  children  run  out  and 
clap  their  hands  with  delight  and  call  their  mothers  to 
see  the  great  birds.  The  tame  ones  frequently  walk 
about  the  Tea  Gardens  and  come  up  to  the  little  tables 
to  get  cakes.  A  pretty  story  is  told  to  the  children, 
which  they  firmly  believe,  that  the  storks  go  to  a  pond 
where  there  are  all  sorts  of  babies,  some  with  black  hair, 
some  with  brown,  flaxen,  etc.,  and  when  a  baby  is  sent 
for  they  pick  up  one  in  their  beaks  and  carry  it  to  the 
house  and  drop  it  down  the  chimney  where  it  is  expected. 
Therefore  the  children  are  taught  to  love  the  storks  and 
hail  their  coming  with  joy.  They  frequently  have  been 
known  to  occupy  the  same  nest  for  many  years,  always 
returning  about  the  same  time.     April    17th  is   a   great 


go  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A   TRAVELLER 

Holy  Day,  and  the  coming  of  the  storks  generally  occurs 
about  this  time. 

The  spring  at  Heidelberg  was  so  delightful  that  I 
lingered  on,  not  caring  for  a  change.  One  day  we  spent 
at  Schwetzingen  where  the  lilacs  were  in  full  bloom  and, 
with  the  fountains  playing,  the  place  reminded  me  very 
much  of  Versailles.  There  were  many  cottages  near  by 
with  the  women  sitting  on  the  door  steps  and  always 
knitting,  knitting.  The  story  is  told  that  Frederick  the 
Great  expected  all  the  women  to  knit  every  moment 
when  not  occupied  with  other  work.  If  on  his  walks 
he  met  any  who  were  not  doing  so  he  did  not  hesitate  to 
chastise  them. 

All  through  the  summer  the  well-to-do  Germans 
spend  their  afternoons  in  excursions  and  in  the  various 
Tea  Gardens,  which  are  prettily  laid  out  with  beds  of 
flowers  and  many  arbors,  and  here  the  entire  family  take 
beer  and  simple  cakes,  pretzels,  sandwiches,  etc.,  while 
listening  to  good  music.  They  almost  never  drink  to 
excess  although  the  amount  of  beer  consumed  through- 
out Germany  is  most  astonishing. 

We  celebrated  June  21st,  the  longest  day  of  the 
year,  by  going  to  Heidelberg  Castle  to  take  afternoon 
coffee  and  staid  until  eight  o'clock.  The  sunset  just 
before  that  hour  was  magnificent ;  the  golden  glow  over 
all  the  Heavens  illuminated  the  River  Neckar,  the  dark 
forests,  the  pretty  little  sleeping  town  below,  and  envel- 
oped them  all  in  liquid  light. 


ALPINE  GIRL  WITH    MILK 


EMMA   J.  BAR  TO L  gi 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Early  in  July  (1870)  I  started  with  some  friends 
for  Switzerland,  arriving  at  Thun  at  7  o'clock  in  the 
evening.  Here  we  had  our  first  view  of  the  Alps,  which 
were  magnificent  in  the  glow  of  the  setting  sun.  The 
town  is  built  on  a  hill  so  steep  that  one  has  to  go  up 
many  steps  to  reach  the  different  streets  and  houses,  and 
at  the  top  of  all  is  the  church  from  which  one  can  see 
the  Jungfrau  on  a  clear  day.  We  saw  a  beautiful  and 
peculiar  blue  rainbow  while  crossing  the  Lake  towards 
Interlaken.  One  of  our  party  being  ill  we  hurried  into 
a  post  wagon  and  drove  rapidly  to  a  hotel,  but  alas,  it 
was  the  height  of  the  season  and  the  only  accommoda- 
tions we  could  get  were  over  the  stable,  which  was  hot 
as  an  oven  and  full  of  fleas  ;  we  heard  the  noises  of  the 
horses  and  stablemen  and  the  smells  were  overpowering, 
but  illness  made  moving  impossible.  We  left  early  the 
next  morning  and  went  to  the  Jungfrau  Blick.  Unfor- 
tunately it  too  was  very  full  and  the  only  rooms  to  be 
had  were  over  the  kitchen,  but  this  was  far  preferable  to 
a  stable. 

We  went  from  here  on  horseback  to  the  Grindelwald, 
starting  at  eight  in  the  morning,  and  enjoyed  immensely 
the  unique  trip  on  foot  through  the  winding  passage  cut 
in  the  great  glacier,  As  we  threaded  our  way  between 
its  walls,  shining  with  iridescent  colors  from  the  reflection 
of  the  sun  on  the  wet  sides  of  the  ice,  we  were  startled 
and  fascinated  at  hearing  the  soft  tones  of  a  zither,  which 
we  found  was  played  by  a  girl  at  the   end   of  this   weird 


<?2  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

grotto.  It  was  a  most  glorious  day  but  as  we  returned 
at  eight  in  the  evening  there  was  a  light  rain  which  en- 
veloped the  mountains  like  a  bridal  veil. 

A  few  days  afterwards  we  started  on  a  lake  trip  to 
Geisbach,  but  a  tremendous  thunder  storm  caused  us  to 
change  our  plans  and  we  concluded  to  remain  on  the 
boat  and  go  to  Brienz.  From  here  there  was  no  railway 
or  steamboat  conveyance  to  the  "  Oberland,"  but  dili- 
gences, post  wagons,  vetturinos,  carriages  of  all  sorts 
were  constantly  arriving  and  departing  with  passengers 
for  Luzerne,  Interlaken  and  other  points.  We  spent  a 
quiet  Sunday  here  in  the  usual  tourist  occupation  of 
writing  letters  home.  The  sun  blazed  all  day  and  the 
heat  was  intense.  The  lake  looked  like  a  mirror  of 
molten  copper  and  it  was  hard  to  realize  that  only  a 
few  miles  away  were  great  masses  of  ice  thousands  of 
feet  thick.  The  quaint  dresses  of  the  peasant  girls  are 
pretty  and  picturesque,  with  velvet  bodice,  white  chem- 
isette, long  lace  ruffles,  fancy  aprons  and  silver  chains 
and  ornaments.  I  bought  and  sent  home  some  beautiful 
specimens  of  carved  wood,  notwithstanding  the  thought 
of  the  inevitable  "  duty"  which  awaited  them. 

The  weather  seemed  to  grow  hotter  and  as  we  ap- 
proached Alpnach  on  our  journey  we  were  all  but  blinded 
with  the  dust  and  suffocated  with  the  heat.  We  were 
hardly  cooled  off  by  the  pleasure  of  taking  refreshments 
from  a  beautiful  buffet  three  hundred  years  old,  and  we 
were  glad  indeed  to  reach  Luzerne.  As  we  passed  the 
old  part  of  the  town  the  sound  of  the  bells  on  the  cows 
as  they  were  coming  to  be  milked  sounded  very  musical 
and  refreshing  to  us  weary  travellers  sitting  on  the  deck 


SWITZERLAND 


EMMA  J.   BARTOL  pj 

of  the  little  steamboat,  over  which  there  was  no  awning 
or  anything  to  protect  us  from  the  blazing  July  sun. 
The  next  day  we  were  at  the  Hotel  Rigi,  viewing  from 
that  grand  mountain  the  lovely  lights  of  the  evening  sun 
shining  on  pinacles  of  snow.  While  there  we  had  the 
magnificent  experience  of  a  thunder  storm  followed  by  a 
gorgeous  sunset. 

We  visited  many  interesting  places  in  all  parts  of 
this  unique  little  republic  and  could  say  with  the  writer, 
Howard  Paul  :  "In  all  Switzerland  I  did  not  meet  a 
tramp  or  encounter  a  beggar  or  a  person  the  least  intoxi- 
cated. There  may  be  a  small  percentage  of  drunken- 
ness but,  if  it  exists,  it  is  kept  out  of  sight.  A  thriftier, 
cleaner,  more  wholesome  body  of  people,  who  carefully 
observe  sanitary  laws  in  their  homes,  I  have  never  met 
in  my  various  travels." 

We  left  Switzerland  with  reluctance  but  had  decided 
to  go  to  Baden  Baden  and  try  its  waters.  Scarcely  were 
we  settled,  however,  when,  with  great  anxiety,  the  land- 
lord came  and  told  us  there  was  a  rumor  of  war  between 
France  and  Germany.  But  still  the  people  went  on  in 
the  same  light-hearted  way,  going  to  the  Kursal  to  watch 
the  gambling  for  which  the  place  was  noted,  drinking  tea 
in  the  gardens  and  listening  to  the  music,  dancing,  flirt- 
ing, "  killing  time."  The  season  of  gaiety  had  just 
begun.  The  Parisian  merchants  were  opening  their 
shops  of  art,  jewelry,  millinery,  dress  goods  of  all  de- 
scriptions. All  of  a  sudden  the  thunder  cloud  of  war 
burst  upon  them.  The  French  were  ordered  to  leave 
and  most  other  foreigners  were  willing  to  go  without 
orders.     There  was  little  time  for  preparation.     Every- 


g4  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

thing  was  thrown  pell-mell  into  boxes,  bags  and  bundles. 
When  we  ourselves  arrived  at  the  station  in  the  morn- 
ing the  confusion  was  indescribable.  Fortunately  we 
had  our  tickets,  so  the  only  thing  was  to  get  seats  in  the 
railway  carriages.  The  platform  was  literally  covered 
with  merchandise  strewed  about  in  every  conceivable 
form — bedding  thrown  promiscuously  around,  baskets, 
bags,  "  big  box,  little  box,  band  box  and  bundles,"  babies 
crying,  poodles  yelping,  bird  cages  mixed  up  with  pet 
cats.  People  were  trying  to  put  all  this  into  a  train  that 
could  carry  only  half  of  it,  so  as  to  get  it  and  themselves 
through  to  Paris  before  the  railroads  were  monopolized 
by  the  government  for  troops  and  war  supplies. 

After  much  difficulty  we  succeeded  in  finding  seats. 
Soldiers  were  everywhere  and  at  each  station  we  saw 
ammunition,  artillery,  sacks  of  bread  and  all  sorts  of 
preparation  for  war.  We  passed  long  trains  loaded  with 
troops  and  were  much  delayed  en  route,  but  at  last  we 
arrived  at  Heidelberg  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening, 
thankful  to  get  there  before  the  railroads  were  closed  to 
the  general  public,  which  occurred  the  next  day.  Seven 
hundred  students  had  left  Heidelberg  the  day  before. 
The  excitement  continued  to  increase,  most  of  the 
English  and  Americans  were  fleeing  from  the  country, 
there  was  no  money  to  be  had  at  the  banks,  and  all  tele- 
graph communication  was  stopped.  Acting  on  what  we 
considered  good  advice  we  decided  to  remain  for  the 
present.  All  the  men  seemed  to  be  going  to  war  and 
were  parading  the  streets  with  garlands  of  leaves  on  their 
hats  and  singing  patriotic  songs.  Some  boys  we  knew 
were  thrown  into  prison  at  Strassburg  as   spies  and   the 


EMMA  J.   BARTOL  g5 

next  day  a  train  load  of  soldiers  was  blown  up.  Busi- 
ness of  every  kind  was  at  a  standstill. 

All  the  women  were  picking  lint  and  sewing  for  the 
soldiers  and  I  generally  went  each  day  to  the  Museum, 
where  they  met,  to  do  what  I  could.  The  Grand 
Duchess  Louise,  daughter  of  the  King  of  Prussia,  was 
there  encouraging  them  in  every  way.  Every  house  was 
expected  to  be  ready  to  entertain  as  many  soldiers  as 
were  billeted  on  it.  The  one  where  we  were  boarding 
had  twenty  beds  prepared  for  them.  I  borrowed  a  sew- 
ing machine  and  sewed  until  my  back  ached  and  the  skin 
was  worn  off  of  my  fingers. 

Finally,  my  bankers  advised  that  I  take  my  son 
from  school  and  leave  Germany,  so  I  wrote  my  son  to 
be  ready  to  go  with  me  whenever  I  sent  for  him,  but  I 
decided  to  delay  going  as  long  as  possible.  Dead 
soldiers  began  to  be  brought  home  and  buried  with  mili- 
tary honors,  while  the  wounded  were  poured  into  the 
hospitals.  Many  of  these  were  Turks,  who  proved  so 
unmanageable  that  they  were  sent  to  the  Fortress  to  be 
cared  for.  I  still  continued  to  go  to  the  Museum  and 
work  for  the  soldiers  and  also  to  the  hospital  to  assist  in 
caring  for  the  wounded,  who  now  numbered  hundreds. 
1  saw  many  severe  operations  performed  and  witnessed 
many  deaths. 

The  situation  grew  more  and  more  acute,  and  so, 
early  in  September,  I  took  my  son  and  went  to  Brussels, 
as  Belgium  was  neutral  territory.  We  went  over  to 
Mayence  and  again  took  the  beautiful  trip  on  the  Rhine. 
The  steamer  was  constantly  stopping  to  take  on  baskets 
filled  with  prunes,  the  country  people  putting  off  from 


96  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

shore  in  row  boats  with  the  fruit  as  soon  as  they  saw  our 
boat  approaching.  The  baskets  were  put  side  by  side 
on  the  deck  until  the  whole  space  was  filled  with  the 
purple  fruit  for  the  English  market. 

We  were  soon  comfortably  settled  and  glad  indeed 
to  be  out  of  the  dreadful  atmosphere  of  war  and  all  its 
terrible  effects.  To  try  to  forget  it  we  went  to  a  popular 
theatre,  where  the  smell  of  onions  and  garlic  was  so 
strong  as  to  call  forth  the  observation  from  my  son  that 
odor  de  Brussels  was  not  much  like  eau  de  Cologne  ! 

George  was  soon  well  placed  in  school  and  I  was 
enjoying  to  the  fullest  the  art  galleries,  museums,  palaces, 
gardens,  shops,  and  all  the  interesting  things  for  which 
Brussels  is  famous.  My  peace  was  disturbed  by  a  small- 
pox scare  and  the  order  from  the  authorities  that  every- 
body must  be  vaccinated.  We  were  sent  to  the 
Zoological  Gardens  and  ushered  into  a  room  where  we 
found  a  live  calf  on  a  table  with  its  legs  tied  together, 
and  were  vaccinated  from  the  pustules  on  its  stomach. 
It  had  no  effect  on  me  but  George  was  made  very 
ill.  He  had  recovered  by  Christmas  and  we  spent  the 
day  with  American  friends.  The  children  had  a  tree  and 
all  exchanged  presents. 

An  interesting  incident  of  those  days  was  the  receipt 
of  letters  from  Paris  by  means  of  balloons.  Those 
mailed  Sept.  i\  did  not  reach  us  until  Oct.  13. 

The  visits  to  the  lace  factories,  for  which  Brussels  is 
noted,  greatly  interested  me.  The  thread  must  be  made 
in  a  dark,  damp,  underground  place  with  no  light  except 
what  comes  through  a  small  hole  and  falls  directly  upon 
it.     This  is  because  of  its  exceeding  fineness  and  because 


HERMOSA   RAGOSA   ROSE  LAUSAL  RE 


EMMA  J.  BARTOL  p7 

it  must  not  be  allowed  to  become  dry  and  brittle.  It  is 
said  that  the  workers  do  not  live  more  than  ten  years. 
The  lace  itself  is  made  under  more  healthful  conditions 
but  the  strain  upon  the  eyes  is  so  severe  that  the  sight 
eventually  becomes  impaired  and  then  working  days  are 
ended.  These  facts  certainly  detract  very  largely  from 
the  pleasure  one  feels  in  wearing  a  beautiful  piece  of  lace. 
By  the  last  of  February  it  was  deemed  entirely  safe 
for  us  to  return  to  Heidelberg.  When  we  left  Brussels  it 
was  so  warm  we  needed  no  fires,  and  when  we  arrived  at 
Coblenz  the  next  evening  it  was  bitter  cold  with  ice  in 
the  gutters.  We  saw  more  snow  on  the  banks  of  the 
Rhine  than  we  had  seen  during  the  whole  winter.  When 
we  reached  Heidelberg  on  the  first  of  March,  however, 
it  was  a  magnificent  day,  sunshiny  and  warm,  all  the 
flags  were  flying  and  there  was  general  rejoicing  at  the 
prospect  of  peace.  On  March  in  King  William's  birth- 
day was  celebrated  and  on  April  i  I  celebrated  my  own 
50th  birthday,  American  and  German  friends  in  Heidel- 
berg sending  me  flowers  galore,  a  birthday  cake  and  a 
lovely  bullfinch.  On  April  21,  the  tropical  plants  were 
all  taken  out  of  the  cellars  and  placed  on  the  terraces 
and  in  the  gardens.  The  days  passed  in  the  pleasant 
manner  so  familiar  to  American  visitors  in  Europe. 
Sunday  mornings  we  went  to  the  pretty  English  church 
and  Sunday  afternoons  to  a  concert  at  the  Castle.  Some- 
times a  party  of  us  would  go  to  Schlierbach  and  spend 
the  afternoon,  take  coffee  and  play  cards.  On  May 
10th  we  went  to  see  the  Heiligenberg  Games  at  four  in 
the  afternoon  and  returned  at  seven.  On  the  occasion 
of  a  visit  to  a  neighboring  fashionable  resort   the  Grand 


p8  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

Duchess  of  Baden  and  suite  arrived  at  the  same  time, 
which  gave  us  a  good  opportunity  of  seeing  the  pomp 
and  pageantry.  The  country  was  looking  its  loveliest, 
fountains  were  playing,  the  ground  covered  with  peri- 
winkles, the  beds  gay  with  tulips,  and  the  chestnuts  and 
lilacs  all  in  full  flower.  Wherever  there  are  many  English- 
speaking  people  living  abroad,  they  usually  have  re- 
unions at  this  season  ;  in  Heidleberg  we  had  a  ball  at 
the  Museum.  We  also  had  many  picnic  parties  in  the 
beautiful  woods  roundabout,  where  we  would  make  a 
fire,  boil  our  coffee,  enjoy  a  nice  luncheon  and  amuse 
ourselves  in  various  ways. 

A  young  American  died  at  the  university  and  was 
taken  to  the  station  by  a  corps  of  fellow-students,  all 
dressed  in  white  knee  breeches,  hunting  boots  and  gloves, 
with  badges  and  scarfs  across  the  breast  and  carrying 
swords  and  torches.  A  fine  band  of  music  played  beside 
the  bier  and  behind  it  was  the  dead  student's  horse,  led 
by  his  companions.  It  was  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening, 
and  on  returning  they  formed  a  circle  in  the  Museum 
Platz,  threw  all  their  torches  into  the  air,  letting  them 
fall  to  the  ground  in  a  heap  and  lie  till  they  burned  out. 

June  i ist  is  considered  the  longest  day  in  England, 
but  in  Germany  it  is  the  22d.  The  English  Colony 
gave  a  ball  and  Herr  Doctor,  my  host,  remarked  to  me 
that  I  "would  become  a  card."  He  meant — would 
receive  one.  A  German  lady  inquiring  about  a  friend 
who  had  a  cough  said,  "  How  is  the  cow  in  her  box  ?" 
meaning  how  was  the  cough  in  her  chest.  I  presume 
we  make  as  many  mistakes  in  German.  I  spent  the 
afternoon  at  the  Wolfsbrunnen  with  a  large  party,  where 


EMMA  J.   BARTOL  pp 

there  are  trout  ponds  kept  on  purpose  to  furnish  fresh 
fish  for  the  guests,  and  it  is  one  of  the  amusements  to 
feed  the  trout. 

The  last  of  July  I  received  letters  calling  me  home 
and  we  left  for  Antwerp,  going  from  there  to  Hull  and 
thence  to  Liverpool.  Not  having  any  opportunity  to 
get  breakfast  between  these  last  two  places  we  bought  a 
pork  pie  which  we  ate  on  the  train,  enjoying  it  as  only 
hungry  people  could  and  having  many  a  laugh  about  it 
afterwards.  We  sailed  from  Liverpool  Saturday,  August 
1 2th,  on  the  steamship  "  Russia  "  and  found  the  vessel 
so  full  of  first-class  passengers  that  many  had  to  eat  in 
the  second  class  dining  room  below.  The  voyage  was 
uneventful  and  we  arrived  at  New  York  on  the  22d  of 
August,  1871,  after  an  absence  of  almost  exactly  two 
years. 


ioo  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 


CHAPTER  X. 

Among  the  most  interesting  of  the  many  short 
journeys  which  I  made  from  time  to  time  was  one  to 
Florida  in  1873.  At  that  period  the  large  and  fashion- 
able resorts  of  the  present  day  were  not  in  existence  and 
a  sojourn  in  Florida  was  really  a  novelty,  but  now  the 
great  tide  of  travel  which  annually  flows  into  those  regions 
has  rendered  it  trite  and  commonplace. 

In  February  I  joined  a  party  of  friends  and  we  took 
the  steamer  "  Adelaide"  at  Baltimore  for  Charleston, 
South  Carolina,  the  City  by  the  Sea.  On  our  arrival  we 
found  the  weather  warm  but  so  damp  that  it  was  neces- 
sary to  have  a  fire,  although  the  climate  was  much  milder 
than  that  which  we  had  left.  The  residents  had  just  had 
one  of  their  occasional  scares  over  a  slight  earthquake, 
but,  so  far  as  we  could  see,  the  houses  did  not  appear  to 
be  much  injured  and  daily  life  seemed  to  be  going  on 
just  as  usual ;  there  was  no  premonition  of  the  great 
disaster  which  was  to  occur  some  years  later.  The  town 
had  a  decayed  and  forlorn  appearance  and  the  streets 
were  so  quiet  it  looked  as  if  all  business  was  at  a  stand- 
still. Coming  from  a  region  where  winter  was  still  in 
full  sway  we  were  in  raptures  over  the  camellias  as  large 
as  lilac  bushes  and  in  full  flower,  the  masses  of  narcissus 
and  hyacinth  perfuming  the  air,  and  the  peach  trees  with 
their  wealth  of  pink  blossoms. 

Charleston  at  that  time  had  the  finest  harbor  along 
the  South  Atlantic  Coast,  and  the  "  Battery"  was  one  of 
the  most  beautiful  residence  locations   in   the   country. 


EMMA  J.  BARTOL  101 

Here  were  the  handsomest  homes  of  the  city,  all  looking 
out  directly  upon  the  harbor  and  commanding  views  of 
Forts  Sumpter,  Moultrie  and  Johnson,  the  scene  of  the 
first  act  in  the  tragic  War  Drama  of  the  Rebellion. 
Ashley  and  Cooper  Rivers  coming  down  on  either  side 
of  the  city  in  great  curves  unite  off  the  "  Battery."  The 
church  of  St.  Phillips  carries  in  its  tall  tower  the  brilliant 
harbor  light  and  is  the  only  Church  Light  House  in  the 
world. 

From  Charleston  we  went  to  Savannah  and  visited 
various  places  of  interest.  It  is  a  pretty  town,  the  streets 
laid  out  with  double  rows  of  trees  like  the  boulevards  of 
Paris.  On  Washington's  Birthday  we  rode  to  the  cem- 
etery through  a  long  avenue  lined  with  wonderful  oaks, 
their  branches  drooping  to  the  ground  and  from  them 
trailed  veil-like  masses  of  Spanish  moss.  This  moss  would 
seem  to  have  little  practical  value  but  it  is  extensively 
used  for  stuffing  mattresses  as  it  is  of  a  wiry  texture  and 
springy. 

We  went  from  here  to  Florida  by  boat.  The  day 
was  fine  and  the  water  perfectly  smooth  the  whole  twenty- 
five  miles  to  the  mouth  of  the  river.  On  entering  the 
ocean  we  found  it  also  quite  calm  and  we  had  a  delightful 
trip  to  Jacksonville. 

One  can  well  imagine  how  beautiful  the  coast  of 
Florida  must  have  looked  to  the  romantic  Ponce  de 
Leon  when  he  landed  near  the  site  of  the  present  city  of 
St.  Augustine,  nearly  a  century  before  the  Pilgrim 
Fathers  set  foot  upon  Plymouth  Rock.  It  was  most 
appropriate  that,  because  of  the  mildness  of  the  climate 
and    the    remarkable    luxuriance    of    the  vegetation,  he 


jo2  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

should  name  the  country  "  Florida,  the  Land  of  Flowers" 
and  should  believe  that  within  the  attractive  glades  he 
would  find  the  fabled  and  long-sought  "  fountain  of 
youth"  ;  but  he  found  death  instead.  He  returned  to 
Spain  and  reported  his  discovery  to  the  King,  but  when 
he  came  back  to  Florida,  some  nine  years  later,  he  was 
slain  by  arrows  in  a  contest  with  the  Indians. 

We  did  not  tarry  long  at  Jacksonville  but  went  on 
to  Green  Cove  and  adjacent  points.  There  had  been 
one  of  the  much  dreaded  "  northers"  and  the  wind  was 
still  damp  and  raw.  As  we  went  slowly  down  the  sandy 
road  we  passed  long  rows  of  bananas,  the  leaves  all 
frozen  and  hanging  limp  and  brown.  The  peach  and 
plum  trees  were  uninjured  and  in  full  bloom,  while  the 
gardens  were  bright  with  honeysuckle,  roses,  violets  and 
jasmine.  We  visited  Sulphur  Springs,  said  to  be  bot- 
tomless, with  the  water  seething  and  boiling  through  the 
fissures. 

The  weather  soon  changed  and  became  extremely 
hot  and  sultry,  so  that  it  was  impossible  to  sleep  and  the 
thermometer  was  700  at  sunrise.  We  were  glad  to  take 
the  steamer  "  Starlight '  for  St.  Augustine,  where  we 
arrived  late  in  the  afternoon  and  were  soon  revived  by 
the  bracing  salt  air  of  the  ocean.  This  oldest  city  in  the 
United  States  is  full  of  interest,  with  its  narrow  streets, 
quaint  houses  and  many  curiosity  shops  and  relics  of 
Spanish  origin.  A  never  failing  delight  was  found  in  the 
beautiful  gardens  filled  with  cape  jasmine,  crape  myrtle, 
Pride  of  India,  date  trees,  palmettos,  mock  oranges  and 
aloes. 

On  leaving  St.  Augustine  we  went  down  into  Cen- 
tral Florida  to  visit  the  great  orange  groves  where  a  tree 


EMMA  J.   BARTOL  103 


bears  three  thousand  oranges,  and  where  one  may  pick 
them  full  grown  from  a  tree  laden  with  the  blossoms  for 
the  next  crop.  I  left  the  party  here  and  returned  to 
Green  Cove  Springs  where  I  was  joined  by  members  of 
my  own  family  and  with  them  visited  various  points. 

One  of  these  trips  which  I  remember  very  well  was 
that  on  the  Ocklawaha  River  to  Silver  Springs.  The 
river  is  very  narrow,  running  most  of  the  time  through 
interminable  forests  of  Cyprus,  the  dead  trees  sticking  up 
in  the  swamps  and  lagoons.  It  looked  as  if  it  were  the 
last  piece  of  land  God  made  and  was  not  quite  dry  yet. 
However  the  monotony  was  occasionally  broken  by  the 
sight  of  alligators  basking  on  old  logs,  with  cranes, 
herons,  blue  and  white  ducks  and  turtles  sunning  them- 
selves on  fallen  trees.  The  steamboat  constantly  twisted 
and  turned  with  the  channel,  men  in  the  bow  with  long 
poles  pushing  it  away  from  the  banks  and  steering  it 
around  the  corners.  After  dark  a  bright  fire  of  pine 
knots  was  started  on  the  roof  of  the  boat  to  light  the 
way  through  the  tortuous  channel.  The  morning  was 
very  cold  and,  although  it  warmed  up  in  the  afternoon, 
anything  more  dreary  than  this  trip  can  hardly  be 
imagined. 

We  were  glad  to  turn  our  faces  toward  Jacksonville 
and  still  more  to  start  homeward.  After  stopping  again 
at  Savannah,  and  then  at  Millenville,  Augusta  and  Char- 
lotte, we  finally  arrived  at  Richmond.  The  weather  was 
bright  and  beautiful.  The  James  River  roaring  along 
sounded  like  the  falls  of  Niagara.  We  took  a  walk  to 
Belle  Isle,  and  as  it  was  Sunday  we  went  to  a  negro 
church.     The   next   day   we   saw   Libby    Prison,  Castle 


104  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

Thunder,  the  Tredegar  Works,  the  burying  ground, 
the  Pryamid,  Washington's  house,  the  home  of  Jefferson 
Davis,  the  Capitol,  and  the  Monument.  In  the  evening 
we  visited  the  Senate  and  heard  an  interesting  debate, 
carried  on  with  all  the  Southern  fire  and  eloquence. 

We  went  by  steamer  to  Washington  where  we 
arrived  in  time  for  the  States'  Ball,  in  which  seventeen 
states  were  represented.  After  seeing  some  points  in 
that  city  with  which  we  were  not  familiar,  and  stopping 
for  a  visit  in  Baltimore,  we  finally  reached  Philadelphia 
which  was  then  in  the  full  beauty  and  glory  of  the  spring 
time. 


EMMA  J.  BARTOL  105 


CHAPTER  XL 

In  the  summer  of  1878,  when  I  was  making  one  of 
my  many  trips  abroad,  I  became  somewhat  weary  of  the 
beaten  track  and,  while  in  Scotland,  decided  to  make  a 
trip  to  the  Orkney  and  Shetland  Islands.  These  places 
are  little  visited  by  tourists  but  I  had  heard  some  inter- 
esting accounts  of  them.  I  always  have  had  a  love  for 
the  curious  and  unusual,  and  a  spice  of  danger  never 
detracted  from  the  pleasure  of  a  journey. 

Before  starting  on  this  sailing  tour  I  visited  Arran, 
one  of  the  most  wildly  picturesque  of  the  many  islands 
along  the  West  Scottish  shore  which  merit  that  descrip- 
tion. I  once  read  a  delightful  little  book  of  nearly  a 
hundred  pages  about  this  spot,  but  it  was  all  too  short 
to  describe  its  beauties.  I  stopped  at  Wemyss  to  see  the 
famous  Castle  whose  proprietor  is  a  lineal  descendent  of 
Macduff,  and  went  on  through  that  wonderful  region  of 
lakes  and  mountains  en  route  for  Oban.  At  Adrishaig, 
we  took  a  boat,  drawn  by  two  horses,  on  the  Crinan 
Canal,  which  is  nine  miles  long  and  has  fifteen  locks. 
Eight  of  these  gradually  lifted  us  upward,  and  the  other 
seven  gently  let  us  down  until  we  reached  Crinan  at  the 
other  end.  It  is  a  journey  of  two  hours  and  saves  a  cir- 
cuit of  seventy  miles,  besides  being  very  interesting,  as 
there  are  continuous  views  of  handsome  mansions,  castles, 
forts  and  natural  beauties  of  landscape.  Oban,  which  in 
Gaelic  means  "  White  Bay,"  stands  at  the  head  of  a  semi- 
circular bay,  midway  between  the  Caledonian  and  Crinan 
Canals,  and  is  called  the  "  The  Charing  Cross  of  The 


io6  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

Highlands,"  because  the  routes  to  so  many  of  the 
famous  tours  in  this  neighborhood  radiate  from  this 
center. 

Here  we  boarded  a  steamer  for  Staffa  and  Ionia, 
and  took  that  wonderful  ride  through  the  Sound  of  Mull. 
On  every  side  are  high  and  rocky  cliffs  and  on  nearly 
every  one  of  these  stand  the  ruins  of  ancient  and  historic 
castles.  The  island  of  Mull  is  twenty-five  miles  wide 
and  thirty  miles  long  and  yet  so  indented  is  the  shore 
with  bays  and  inlets  that  its  coast  line  is  three  hundred 
miles  in  length  ;  it  has  a  mountain  peak  3,185  feet  high. 
The  winding  channel  is  of  great  depth  and  the  views  of  the 
Scottish  shore  are  striking  and  impressive.  The  steamer 
passes  the  entrance  of  many  fine  bays  and  the  outlets  of 
many  lovely  lakes,  while  mountains  tower  in  the  distance. 
Sir  Walter  Scott  laid  the  scene  of  several  of  his  novels 
and  poems  in  this  romantic  region,  and  all  of  it  is  con- 
nected with  the  ancient  history  of  Scotland. 

Staffa,  the  "  Island  of  Pillars,"  (supposed  to  have 
taken  its  name  from  the  word  "staff,")  is  a  curious  mass  of 
basaltic  rock  only  a  mile  long  and  a  quarter  of  a  mile  wide, 
being  simply  an  uneven  table  land  resting  on  column- 
like cliffs,  the  highest  of  which  are  144  feet.  On  account 
of  the  heavy  surf  beating  against  the  rocks,  steamers 
cannot  approach  the  Island  but  passengers  are  taken  in 
small  boats  which  are  most  dextrously  managed  by  Ulva 
boatmen.  Caves  almost  perforate  the  Island  on  every 
side  and  the  roar  of  the  sea  as  it  rushes  into  them  can  be 
heard  for  miles.  Fingal's  Cave,  the  most  noted  of  these, 
is  two  hundred  and  twenty-seven  feet  long  and  its  pillars 
thirty-six  feet  high.     It  has  been  aptly  called  "an  august 


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EMMA  J.   BARTOL  107 

natural  cathedral."  We  climbed  to  the  top  of  the  Island 
by  wooden  ladders  and  encountered  a  terrific  storm  of 
wind  and  rain  which  turned  our  umbrellas  inside  out  and 
drenched  us  to  the  skin,  so  that  we  were  a  bedraggled 
lot  when  we  returned  to  the  steamer.  We  took  off  our 
shoes  and  such  clothes  as  we  could  spare  and  the  sailors 
dried  them  in  the  engine  room,  but  our  enthusiasm  was 
considerably  dampened  by  the  time  we  reached  Ionia. 

Ionia  Island  was  inhabited  in  what  is  known  as  the 
"  dark  ages."  Its  monastery  was  one  of  the  centres  of 
Catholicism,  and  during  the  sixth  and  seventh  centuries 
its  seminary  of  religion  and  letters  was  hardly  second  to 
any  of  Great  Britain.  It  had  a  stormy  history,  but 
nothing  of  the  ancient  times  remains  except  the  ruins  of 
a  church,  a  monastery  and  Cathedral,  a  graveyard  where 
the  Scottish  Kings  were  buried  from  the  sixth  to  the 
eleventh  centuries,  and  some  old  monuments.  The 
Cathedral  now  in  use  dates  from  the  early  part  of  the 
thirteenth  century  and  contains  tombs  of  the  Macleods 
and  Macleans,  the  Mackenzies  and  other  famous  Scot- 
tish families.  Near  here  it  is  said  the  sacred  "  Black 
Stones  of  Ionia"  are  concealed,  on  which  the  Highland 
Chiefs  made  their  oaths.  But  all  this  is  of  the  past,  and 
for  generations  the  1,000  inhabitants  have  devoted  them- 
selves to  the  peaceful  raising  of  crops,  which — strange  as  it 
may  seem — mature  very  early. 

We  made  a  number  of  interesting  trips  from  Oban, 
among  them  one  to  Fort  William  and  Inverness.  On 
this  we  passed  the  ruins  of  Dunolly  Castle,  built  in  714. 
Lower  down  on  the  cliff,  at  the  base  of  the  old  family 
stronghold,  the  McDougals  have  their  modern  mansion, 


108  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

for  nowhere  is  the  pride  of  race  and  the  clinging  to  family 
inheritance  stronger  than  among  the  Scotch.  One  finds 
the  same  beautiful  scenery  everywhere  in  this  region,  but 
one  must  make  up  one's  mind  to  see  most  of  it  through 
what  is  historically  known  as  a  "  Scotch  mist,"  which 
elsewhere  would  be  rightfully  termed  a  soaking  rain, 
coming  down  as  fine  as  spray  but  penetrating  to  the  skin. 
Fort  William  is  situated  almost  at  the  base  of  Ben  Nevis, 
the  highest  mountain  in  Great  Britain,  4406  feet.  Its 
top  is  reached  by  a  difficult  climb  of  eight  miles  and 
presents  one  of  the  grandest  views  in  the  world,  from  the 
North  Sea  to  the  Atlantic  Ocean.  The  Fort  was  erected 
in  the  time  of  the  Commonwealth  and  afterwards  rebuilt 
by  William  III.  It  is  at  the  entrance  of  Loch  Eil,  into 
which  the  steamer  goes  and  sails  past  the  ruins  of  the 
Castle  of  Inverlochy,  a  magnificent  ruin  dating  from 
1300  and  the  scene  of  several  battles  during  the  follow- 
ing two  or  three  centuries.  It  would  require  more  pages 
than  can  be  given  to  describe  the  points  of  exceeding  in- 
terest in  this  most  famous  part  of  Scotland — wild,  rugged 
and  picturesque  beyond  the  imagination.  What  gave 
me  especial  delight  was  to  see  everywhere  masses  of  the 
sweet-scented  English  honeysuckle,  climbing  to  the  roofs 
of  houses  and  the  tops  of  trees  and  covering  the  ruins 
with  a  veil  of  beauty.  The  chimneys  are  alive  with 
chattering  starlings. 

One  day  we  spent  at  the  Isle  of  Skye,  the  largest  of 
the  Inner  Hebrides,  containing  about  350,000  acres.  It 
is  very  mountainous  and  the  rain  falls  three  days  out  of 
every  four  ;  so  the  island  is  valuable  chiefly  for  its 
Danish  antiquities  and  its  fine  scenery  of  rugged  peaks, 


EMM  J  J.  BARTOL  lop 


caves,  lakes  and  rivers.  The  highest  waterfall  in  the 
Highlands  is  here,  plunging  into  a  ravine  800  feet  deep. 
This  was  the  home  of  Flora  Macdonald.  The  Island 
still  belongs  to  the  Macdonald  and  Macleod  families. 
It  is  better  known,  however,  for  its  famous  breed  of 
Skye  terriers. 

We  took  many  short  and  interesting  journeys  in 
open-post  wagons,  but  I  finally  awoke  to  the  conscious- 
ness that  the  summer  was  passing  and  my  far  northern 
trip  to  the  Orkney  and  Shetland  Islands  would  have  to 
be  abandoned  if  I  did  not  hasten  on.  I  went  by  coach 
to  various  towns  in  the  north  of  Scotland,  staying  a  short 
time  at  each,  and  at  one  of  these  I  had  a  peculiar  ex- 
perience. At  the  little  inn  where  I  stopped,  a  traveller — 
aside  from  the  local  wayfarers — was  so  unusual  that  one 
was  detained  as  long  as  possible.  When  I  was  ready  to 
go  1  was  told  that  the  seats  on  the  coach  were  all  en- 
gaged. This  also  happened  the  following  day  and  then  I 
began  to  grow  suspicious.  That  evening  I  hunted  up 
the  driver,  slipped  a  generous  fee  into  his  hand,  and  learn- 
ed the  truth.  So  early  the  next  morning,  having  paid 
my  bill  the  night  before,  I  took  my  hand  baggage  and 
myself  to  the  stable  and  climbed  into  the  coach.  When 
the  coach  drove  out  there  I  was,  and  the  grasping  land- 
lord of  course  did  not  dare  to  touch  me. 

On  these  coaching  trips  I  often  heard  or  had  amus- 
ing conversations.  On  one  occasion  two  passengers  had 
an  exciting  conversation  about  the  Devil.  They  both 
fully  believed  in  his  existence,  but  one  held  that  he  was 
continually  warring  against  God,  while  the  other  insisted 


no  RECOLLECTIONS   OF  A  TRAVELLER 


that  he  was  a  subject  of  God  and  acting  under  orders  to 
commit  evil  for  our^good. 

Once  I  became  myself  engaged  in  an  argument  with 
some  ladies  on  equal  rights  for  women.  They  were  bitter- 
ly opposed  to  it  and.  pointed  out  what  an  awful  thing  it 
would  be  for  a  woman  to  hold  office.  "But,"  said  I, 
"you  have  a  woman  at  the  head  of  your  Government, 
holding  its  highest  and  most  responsible  office."  "Oh," 
they  answered,  "that  is  an  entirely  different  thing.  Queen 
Victoria  rules  by  divine  right  and  she  must  not  be  re- 
garded as  other  women." 

I  finally  reached  Thurso,  the  most  northerly  part 
of  Scotland.  I  happened  to  be  there  on  Sunday  and, 
although  it  is  a  manufacturing  town  of  six  or  seven 
thousand  inhabitants,  everything  and  everybody  seemed 
to  be  dead,  and  I  was  almost  startled  when  I  saw  a  cat 
run  across  the  street.  It  was  lively  enough,  however,  on 
Monday  morning  when  the  steamer  left  for  the  Orkney 
and  Shetland  Islands.  These  two  groups  form  a  county 
of  Scotland  and  send  one  member  to  Parliament.  In  the 
Orkneys  are  sixty-seven  islands  and  islets,  but  only  about 
twenty-seven  can  be  called  inhabited.  These  islands  were 
visited  by  Agricola  in  84  A.  D.  They  belonged  to 
Norway  in  the  middle  ages  but  in  1468  were  annexed  to 
Scotland.  They  have  been  worn  by  the  heavy  seas  into 
crooked  and  shapeless  masses.  The  mean  temperature 
in  summer  is  540,  in  winter  390  and  there  is  an  annual 
rainfall  of  twenty-nine  inches.  The  soil  is  thin  and  poor 
and  the  only  products  are  oats,  barley,  potatoes  and  tur- 
nips. A  breed  of  small  cattle  is  raised  here,  many 
thousands  of  sheep  are  pastured  and  rabbits  and  poultry 


EMMA  J.   BARTOL  in 

abound.  Hunting  for  wild  birds  and  their  eggs  is  an  in- 
dustry, but  the  most  of  the  inhabitants  are  supported  by 
the  lobster  fisheries. 

We  went  to  Kirkwall,  the  capital,  situated  on  Main- 
land, the  largest  island,  twenty-six  miles  northeast  of 
John  o'Groat's,  the  most  northern  part  of  Scotland.  It  has 
a  fine  Gothic  Cathedral,  St.  Magnus,  built  in  the  twelfth 
century,  on  either  side  of  which  are  the  ruins  of  the  ancient 
Bishop's  palace  and  of  the  castle  of  the  Earls  of  Orkney. 
A  tablet  marks  the  remains  of  the  King's  castle.  The 
antique  stone  houses  are  said  to  be  occupied  by  a  very 
exclusive  society,  but  the  general  aspect  of  the  town  is 
most  unprepossessing.  The  streets  are  narrow,  so  steep 
they  must  be  ascended  by  steps  and  they  wind  about  in 
an  irregular  way  with  small,  badly-lighted  "closes"  lead- 
ing off"  from  them,  while  the  houses  turn  their  gables  to 
the  passer  by  like  those  of  Holland.  The  shops  are 
dingy  and  unattractive  and  one  is  filled  with  wonder  that 
people  can  be  satisfied  to  pass  their  life  in  so  barren  a 
spot.      But  most  of  them  know  no  other  kind  of  life. 

When  I  took  the  steamer  for  Lerwick,  what  was 
my  dismay  to  find  that  I  was  the  only  woman  on  board! 
As  it  was  very  cold  I  went  to  the  dining  saloon  and  found 
the  table  strewed  with  beer  glasses  and  the  remnants  of 
cigars  and  pipes,  while  the  air  was  stifling  with  stale  to- 
bacco smoke.  The  weather  was  too  severe  for  me  to  stay 
on  deck  so  I  took  refuge  in  the  pilot  house,  where  the 
pilot  kindly  allowed  me  to  sit  and  gave  me  a  great  deal 
of  valuable  information.  On  the  way  we  sailed  past  Bal- 
four House,  the  elegant  modern  summer  house  of  Lord 
Balfour.     Halfway  between  the  two  groups  of  Islands  is 


U2  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

Fair  Isle,  misnamed,  for  many  a  ship  has  gone  to  destruc- 
tion on  its  rugged  precipices.  Here  vessels  of  the  Span- 
ish Armada  were  wrecked  in  1588.  The  bleak  and  bare 
promontories  of  Shetland  soon  appeared,  a  place  mention- 
ed by  Tacitus,  but  whose  early  records  are  shrouded  in 
obscurity.  From  the  ninth  century,  however,  it  is  inter- 
woven with  the  history  of  Norway  and  afterwards  of 
Scotland.  Lerwick  is  the  capital,  situated  on  the  largest 
island  and  on  the  side  of  a  steep  hill,  and  it  has  more  the 
appearance  of  a  fortification  than  a  town.  It  was  built 
early  in  the  seventeenth  century.  The  houses  on  the 
principal  street,  which  is  a  semi-circle  around  the  head  of 
the  bay,  have  their  foundations  laid  in  the  water  and  their 
doors  placed  so  that  boats  can  come  up  to  them.  There 
are  subterranean  passages  to  the  houses  further  away.  It 
is  hinted  that  this  arrangement  was  for  the  purpose  of 
landing  smuggled  goods,  as  pirates  and  freebooters  figure 
conspicuously  in  the  ancient  history  of  these  Islands. 
The  harbor  is  so  large  that  nearly  a  hundred  men-of-war 
have  been  anchored  there  at  one  time.  Lerwick  itself  is 
rather  an  imposing  little  city  with  flourishing  shops, 
modern  houses  and  many  good  public  buildings. 

At  the  Hotel  Zetland  our  steamer  party  were  the 
only  guests  and  I  found  my  fellow  travellers  to  be  gentle- 
men in  the  true  sense  of  the  word.  When  the  landlady 
asked  what  we  would  have  for  breakfast  they  said  that  as 
I  was  the  only  lady  they  would  leave  the  ordering  of  the 
meals  to  me.  The  breakfast  was  served  in  the  English 
style,  with  tray  and  urns  at  the  head  of  the  table,  and 
they  begged  that  I  would  serve  the  tea  and  coffee.  In 
every  way  they  showed  me  the  greatest  courtesy.     When 


EMM  J  J.   BARTOL  iij 

an  excursion  was  planned  to  Bressay,  the  Noups  and  the 
Holm  of  Noss,  which  must  be  made  in  an  open  boat  on 
a  rough  sea,  the  weather  looked  squally  and  they  left  it  to 
me  to  decide  whether  we  should  go.  The  Cave  of  Bres- 
say and  the  Cliffs  of  Noss  alone  would  repay  one  for  this 
northern  voyage.  Bressay  is  a  little  island  three  miles  by 
six  and  the  cave  in  its  side  is  entered  through  a  great  natural 
arch.  The  passage  soon  becomes  narrow  and  the  voya- 
gers are  ushered  into  total  darkness  and  supplied  with 
torches.  A  large  cavern  is  finally  reached  from  whose 
lofty  ceilings  hang  immense  stalactites.  There  is  another 
cavern  beyond  which  had  never  yet  been  explored.  On 
coming  out  the  skiff  flies  over  the  waves  still  farther  to 
the  northeast  for  a  few  miles,  when  one  beholds  the 
famous  spectacle  of  the  Noup  and  the  Holm  of  Noss. 
The  former  is  the  eastern  headland  of  the  Island,  about 
600  feet  high  ;  the  latter  is  a  great  pile  of  rock  whose 
perpendicular  sides  rise  abruptly  out  of  the  sea.  The 
distance  between  the  two  is  about  a  hundred  feet  but  it 
looks  like  a  mere  cleft.  The  tops  of  these  precipices  are 
literally  crowded  with  sea  birds,  which  build  their  nests  in 
the  coarse  grass  until  it  is  covered  thickly  with  eggs. 
There  are  thousands  of  these  birds  which  darken  the  sky 
like  a  cloud  when  they  rise  up  in  flight. 

Half  a  dozen  interesting  drives  may  be  had  from 
Lerwick,  one  of  the  most  noted  to  Scalloway  Castle,  built 
in  1600.  Witches  used  to  be  burned  here  and  many 
dark  stories  connected  with  the  neighborhood  are  told. 
The  traveller  passes  many  very  ancient  ruins  of  castles, 
mills,  towers  and  tombs,  and  sees  also  peaceful  lakes, 
rivers  and  valleys  with  little  farms  and  comfortable  homes, 


H4  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

for  the  Island  long  ago  ceased  to  be  a  scene  of  constant 
warfare.  The  soil  is  even  poorer  than  on  the  Orkneys. 
The  people  live  mostly  on  oatmeal,  fish  and  potatoes, 
but  they  are  hardy  and  industrious.  The  noted  Shet- 
land ponies  are  bred  here,  and  it  is  a  common  thing  to 
see  a  tall,  stout  man  astride  one  of  these  strong,  sure- 
footed little  animals  not  much  larger  than  a  dog. 

In  these  Islands  fishing  is  the  standard  employment 
for  the  men,  while  the  women  are  famous  for  knitting 
and  vie  with  each  other  in  designing  new  and  artistic 
patterns.  They  knit  when  going  about  the  streets  and 
while  taking  the  cows  to  and  from  pastures — gloves, 
stockings,  caps  and  shawls — and  the  unique  patterns, 
variegated  colors  and  extreme  softness  of  the  wool  cause 
their  work  to  be  much  desired.  Shawls  are  perhaps 
their  best  product.  When  these  reach  a  considerable 
size  the  women  tie  them  around  their  waists  and  continue 
knitting  on  the  ends. 

We  left  Lerwick  after  ten  at  night,  rowing  out  into 
the  darkness  in  a  little  boat  to  the  steamer.  On  board 
were  a  large  number  of  ponies,  cows,  sheep,  sporting  and 
fancy  dogs,  chickens  and  geese,  the  latter  packed  into 
crates  like  sardines,  with  wings  and  legs  often  disjointed 
or  broken,  sticking  out  through  the  bars.  The  animals 
were  not  fed  or  watered  between  Lerwick  and  Aberdeen. 
We  went  on  shore  at  Wick,  which  for  a  century  has 
been  the  headquarters  of  the  herring  fishery  of  Scotland. 
Thousands  of  men  and  hundreds  of  boats  are  engaged 
in  this  business,  and  the  women  clean  and  pack  the 
herring.  We  saw  thousands  of  barrels  ready  for  pack- 
ing and  a  large  fleet  of  fishing  smacks  going  out  in  the 


EMMA  J.  BARTOL  ZIj 

evening  light  which  lingers  very  late  in  this  northern  lat- 
titude. 

We  reached  Aberdeen  at  the  unearthly  hour  of  half 
past  two  in  the  morning  and  I  was  obliged  to  leave  the 
ship  and  go  to  a  hotel.  I  went  to  Aberdeen  to  carry 
out  a  purpose  which  had  long  been  in  my  mind  and  this 
was  nothing  less  than  an  interview  with  Queen  Victoria  ! 
I  was  a  member  of  a  society  interested  in  what  was 
known  as  the  "  Contagious  Disease  Act,"  which  meant 
practically  a  Government  recognition  of  the  social  evil. 
Women  everywhere  were  hoping  and  praying  that  the 
Queen  would  put  the  stamp  of  her  disapproval  upon  it 
in  England.  Knowing  how  easy  it  would  be  for  me  to 
see  our  President,  I  thought  it  would  be  quite  possible 
for  me  to  see  Her  Majesty  and  tell  her  the  feeling  of  the 
American  women.  I  wanted  to  explain  to  her  how 
much  we  feared  that  if  this  became  the  law  in  regard  to 
the  English  Army,  a  similar  one  would  be  passed  in  the 
United  States.  As  it  was  now  early  autumn  I  knew  she 
was  at  Balmoral  and  so  I  boarded  the  train  for  Ballater, 
a  village  on  the  River  Dee,  thirty-seven  miles  from  Aber- 
deen. Here  I  took  a  coach  to  Balmoral,  a  few  miles  away, 
but  on  my  arrival  I  found  there  was  no  town,  not  even  a 
hotel.  By  this  time  the  train  was  gone  and  there  would 
be  no  other  till  the  next  day.  What  was  I  to  do  ? 
Finally,  after  I  had  explained  my  difficulty  to  the  station 
master,  he  said  he  knew  of  only  one  place,  a  house  within 
walking  distance,  where  people  were  sometimes  taken  in 
over  night. 

I  immediately  started  and  reached  a  very  humble 
cottage,  the  door  of  which  was  open.      I  walked  in,  found 


u6  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A   TRAVELLER 

one  good  sized  room  with  a  stone  floor,  but  no  one  about, 
and  so  I  sat  down  and  waited  events.  At  last  a  woman 
appeared  with  a  basket  of  wet  clothes.  I  then  learned 
that  she  was  a  laundress  for  Balmoral  Castle  and  had 
been  washing  at  the  brook  down  the  hill.  I  questioned 
her  as  to  whether  I  could  stay  with  her  for  the  night, 
and  told  her  that  I  had  come  all  the  way  from  America 
to  see  the  Queen.  The  good  woman  explained  that  she 
was  not  prepared  for  boarders,  but  under  the  circumstances 
she  said  she  would  try  to  make  me  comfortable.  I  was 
indeed  thankful  to  find  a  place  to  lay  my  head  that  night. 
My  hostess  was  a  simple,  plain,  kind-hearted  Scotch 
woman.  She  immediately  got  me  a  nice  cup  of  tea  and 
bread,  butter  and  marmalade,  served  on  fine  china  with 
clean  napery.  As  the  evening  drew  near  I  saw  no  stairs 
and  no  room  but  the  one  I  was  in,  and  wondered  where  I 
was  to  sleep?  At  last  she  opened  the  door  of  a  closet 
just  big  enough  to  contain  a  bed,  and  I  climbed  some  steps 
and  floundered  down  into  several  feather  beds  in  which  I 
was  nearly  buried.  But  I  was  so  tired  I  slept  well  all 
night.  In  the  morning  she  had  a  delicious  breakfast  of 
tea,  buttered  toast  and  honey. 

My  hostess  told  me  that  she  had  often  seen  the 
Queen,  who  in  her  younger  days  frequently  came  into  her 
cottage  to  rest  when  walking  out  with  Prince  Albert. 
She  showed  me  a  large  engraving  of  the  Queen,  which 
the  Queen  had  given  her,  and  told  me  much  about  the 
simple  life  at  Balmoral.  After  breakfast  I  inquired  the 
way  to  the  Castle  and  started  off  to  have  my  talk  with 
the  Queen.  Entering  the  great  gates  I  walked  up  the 
broad  avenue  and  soon  met  three  gentlemen  who  accosted 


EMMA  J.  BARTOL  117 

me  politely  and  asked  where  I  was  going.  I  said  I  was 
going  to  see  the  Queen.  They  explained  that  most 
likely  this  would  be  impossible,  but  in  a  kind  manner 
begged  me  to  accompany  them  and  they  would  see  what 
could  be  done.  I  followed  them  to  a  fine  house  in  the 
grounds  where  they  left  me  in  a  handsome  reception 
room,  after  having  tea  and  cake  brought  to  me.  I  over- 
heard a  great  deal  of  talking  and  finally  they  returned 
and  explained  that  they  were  the  sons  of  John  Brown 
but  that  they  dare  not  allow  me  to  go  any  farther,  for 
even  if  they  did  I  would  be  stopped  by  the  guards  at  the 
other  entrances.  I  made  them  understand  that  I  meant 
no  injury  to  the  Queen  but  only  wished  to  speak  to  her 
upon  an  important  subject.  They  assured  me  that  they 
could  make  no  exception  to  the  rules  for  her  protection, 
and  courteously  escorted  me  to  the  gates.  Thus  ended 
all  my  hopes  of  talking  to  Queen  Victoria. 

It  was  too  late  that  day  to  return  to  Edinburgh,  so 
I  went  back  to  the  cottage.  My  hostess  sympathized 
with  my  disappointment  and  entered  fully  into  my  desire 
to  see  the  Queen.  The  cottage  overlooked  the  Castle 
and  she  could  see  the  carriage  leave  the  door  when  the 
Queen  went  for  her  drive,  which,  she  said,  was  about 
eleven  o'clock  every  morning.  She  explained  that  I 
must  go  into  the  road,  meet  the  jaunting  car,  stop  and 
bow  and  smile.  The  next  day  proved  magnificent  and  I 
was  directed  to  go  into  the  garden  and  watch  for  the  ap- 
proach of  the  royal  party.  An  equerry  would  be  in 
advance  of  the  carriage.  Feeling  very  timid  and  think- 
ing it  would  be  extremely  rude  to  stare  at  royalty,  I 
decided  not  to  stand  at  the  side  of  the  road  but  to  hide 


n8  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

myself  in  a  lilac  bush  where  I  could  see  unobserved. 
Soon  their  approach  was  made  known  by  the  equerry 
riding  before.  The  English  open  carriage  contained 
Queen  Victoria,  the  Princess  Beatrice  and  the  Duke  of 
Albany,  with  John  Brown  on  the  box  by  the  driver.  I 
had  a  good  look  at  Her  Majesty,  a  sweet-faced  English 
woman,  who,  I  felt  very  sure,  would  have  listened  sym- 
pathetically to  my  plea  if  I  could  but  have  had  the 
chance  to  make  it. 

I  returned  to  Aberdeen  and  from  there  went  south- 
ward and  spent  several  very  pleasant  weeks  with  friends 
in  Edinburgh  and  Dundee.  Among  these  were  some  of 
the  ladies  most  prominent  in  the  movement  for  woman 
suffrage,  in  which  I  was  greatly  interested,  namely,  Mrs. 
Margaret  E.  Parker,  Miss  Eliza  Wigham  and  Mrs. 
Jessie  E.  Wellstood.  I  also  met  Miss  Emily  Faithfull. 
Of  these  two  beautiful  and  historic  cities  it  is  unneces- 
sary to  write,  as  they  are  so  widely  known  and  are 
annually  visited  by  thousands  of  tourists.  I  had  occasion, 
of  course,  to  cross  the  Tay  Bridge,  which  had  been 
opened  to  the  public  the  preceding  May  and  was  attract- 
ing the  attention  of  the  world.  It  crossed  the  mouth  of 
the  Tay  River,  which  here  becomes  an  arm  of  the  sea, 
and  was  over  two  miles  long — the  longest  bridge  in 
existence — and  was  used  for  railroad  trains.  It  was  sup- 
posed to  have  been  built  for  all  time  but  was  afterwards 
destroyed  by  a  hurricane,  and  later  rebuilt. 

From  Edinburgh  I  went  to  Bolton,  England,  to  see 
my  friends,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Taylor  ;  then  down  into 
Wales  to  visit  relatives,  and  finally  to  Paris,  the  most 
interesting  of  places  in  which  to  spend  the  winter  months. 


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EMMA  J.  BARTOL  up 


CHAPTER  XII. 

By  1883  I  felt  again  the  desire  for  a  trip  to  Europe 
as  the  only  means  for  escaping  the  cares  and  burdens  of 
a  large  house,  the  demands  of  society  and  the  exactions  of 
the  numerous  clubs,  societies,  churches,  hospitals  and  other 
activities  with  which  I  was  more  or  less  identified.  Con- 
sequently I  sailed  in  the  "Arizona"  on  May  29.  We 
had  the  usual  entertainments  given  by  the  passengers,  a 
fine  performance  on  the  piano,  singing,  reading,  recitation 
of  poetry,  altogether  most  enjoyable  evenings.  The  skies 
were  fair,  the  sea  smooth  and  we  sighted  Ireland  early  on 
June  6.  In  the  afternoon  we  arrived  at  Queenstown  and 
landed  fifty  passengers  and  the  mail.  Then  sailing  away 
again  we  arrived  at  Liverpool  at  eleven  o'clock  the  next 
morning. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Taylor,  whom  I  was  to  visit,  and  a 
number  of  friends  were  at  the  landing  to  meet  me.  We 
went  into  the  city  to  do  some  shopping,  and  arrived  at 
Bolton,  the  Taylors'  country  home,  in  time  for  dinner. 
The  next  day  they  gave  a  lawn  tennis  party  and  twenty- 
two  sat  down  to  a  supper  of  cold  salmon,  pork  pie,  lamb 
chops,  peas,  hot  canned  pears  and  cakes.  At  nine  o'clock 
we  were  served  with  "gooseberry  fool,"  corn  starch,  jelly, 
and  lemonade  in  decanters.  There  is  much  more  eating 
in  England  than  with  us  and  the  food  in  many  respects 
is  quite  different.  Sunday  I  went  to  Walmsley  Unitarian 
Church  with  all  the  family  to  hear  the  Rev.  T.  C.  Street, 
from  Belfast,  Ireland.  It  was  bitter  cold  riding  to  and 
from  Bolton  over  the  moors,  which  looked  so  bright  and 


120  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

warm  with  the  bloom  of  the  golden  gorse.  All  through 
June  it  was  so  cold  that  people  wore  sealskin  sacks,  furs 
and  fur  lined  cloaks,  and  it  was  necessary  to  have  fires  in 
the  house.  Nevertheless  a  party  of  twenty-one  of  us 
rode  fifteen  miles  to  visit  Sawley,  Clitheron  and  Whalleg 
Abbeys,  and  took  many  other  long  rides  and  excursions 
to  places  of  interest.  We  visited  the  churchyard,  where 
we  came  across  several  curious  epitaphs  on  the  old  tomb- 
stones, one  of  them  reading  thus  : 

"  Affliction  sore  long  time  I  bore, 

Physicians  were  in  vain, 
Till  God  did  please  to  give  me  ease, 

And  terminate  my  pain."      (1637.) 

We  spent  one  day  in  Manchester  where  we  visited 
St.  Peter's  Church  and  the  Town  Hall.  We  witnessed 
a  trial  going  on  at  the  Assizes — the  Judge  in  a  big  wig, 
the  Mayor  with  a  very  large  chain  around  his  neck,  and 
all  the  barristers  with  wigs.  The  entire  proceedings 
very  stately  and  formal. 

Toward  the  end  of  the  month  the  weather  grew 
warm  and  sunny.  The  garden  was  a  never-failing  delight, 
the  lawn  being  dotted  with  the  little  English  daisy,  a 
wealth  of  roses  much  more  lasting  than  ours,  clumps  of 
gorgeous  rhodedendron  and  azalias,  lilacs  and  blooming 
fruit  trees.  The  garden  plays  a  far  more  prominent  part 
in  the  life  of  England  than  of  America,  and  is  one  of  its 
most  attractive  features.  The  hospitality  of  English 
people  is  much  more  generous  and  extensive  than  with 
us,  when  once  they  have  decided  that  you  are  worthy  of 
it.  I  left  the  "Glen"  after  a  most  enjoyable  experience 
of  private  life  in  an  English  family  for  five  weeks,  and  my 


EMM  J   J.   BARTOL  121 

host  and  hostess  accompanied  me  on  my  journey  as  far 
as  Manchester. 

At  Buxton  I  visited  the  Blue  John  and  the  Speed- 
well Mines,  and  the  Peak  of  Peveril,  made  famous 
by  Sir  Walter  Scott,  and  saw  the  long  underground 
tunnels  where  lead  was  mined  in  olden  times  but  now  all 
abandoned  ;  Chatsworth  and  Haddon  Hall,  and  the 
postern  door  from  which  Dorothy  Vernon  escaped  ;  and 
Blackwell  Church  and  Edensor,  where  Lord  Frederick 
Cavendish  was  buried,  stopping  for  luncheon  at  the 
famous  "  Peacock  Inn"  of  Rowsley.  At  Matlock  Baths 
I  engaged  lodgings  at  the  "  Peveril,"  then  went  to  the 
Black  Rock  where  I  drank  "  nettle  beer,"  and  had  a 
drive  on  the  "  Oria  Gellia,"  a  road  made  by  the  Romans 
centuries  ago.  The  next  day  I  walked  to  Matlock 
Bridge,  and  returning  by  train,  visited  a  very  curious 
spring  which  petrifies  everything  laid  in  it.  Then  I  went 
to  the  old,  historic  town  of  Bath,  visited  the  Abbey,  the 
Pumprooms  and  the  extensive  excavations  which  were 
being  made,  to  uncover  the  remains  of  baths  used  by  the 
Romans  during  their  occupation  centuries  ago. 

I  reached  Wells  for  Sunday  and  attended  service  at 
the  Cathedral,  where  the  Right  Honorable  and  Right 
Reverend  Lord  Arthur  Charles  Hervey  sat  on  the 
Bishop's  Throne.  It  was  a  choral  service,  the  ages  of 
the  choristers  ranging  from  ten  to  seventy  years.  The 
Bishop  was  dressed  in  a  white  robe,  the  full  sleeves  tied 
at  the  ruffled  wrists  with  black  velvet,  the  hood  and 
stoles  of  black  and  red,  and  lavender  kid  gloves.  The 
four  black-robed  vergers  with  their  heavy  black  staffs 
surmounted  with  silver  figures,  and  the  five  white-robed 


122  RECOLLECTIONS   OF  A  TRAVELLER 

officiating  priests  gave  great  impressiveness  to  the  service. 
The  Cathedral,  dating  back  to  704  A.  D.,  is  exceedingly 
rich  in  sculpture  and  decoration.  Statues  of  Bishops 
carved  in  marble  and  handsome  tombs  are  in  all  parts  of 
the  building.  The  Bishop's  Palace  adjoining  the  Cath- 
edral is  surrounded  by  a  wide  and  deep  moat  bordered 
by  a  heavy  wall  with  watch  towers  on  each  corner.  The 
records  show  that  seventy  different  Bishops  have  officiated 
here. 

The  early  history  of  Wells  states  that  "  It  was  so 
named  from  its  abundant  springs."  It  is  one  of  the 
most  interesting  places  in  Europe  to  the  student  of 
Gothic  architecture,  and  not  of  architecture  only  but  to 
the  student  of  the  History  of  England  also.  The 
grounds  are  laid  out  with  much  taste,  the  terrace  walk 
by  the  south  wall  being  especially  beautiful.  The  place 
possesses  an  undying  interest  in  remembrance  of  good 
Bishop  Then,  who,  tradition  says,  composed  the  Morn- 
ing and  Evening  Hymns  in  the  summer  house  at  the 
southeast  corner  of  the  grounds.  Three  of  the  most 
famous  wells  or  springs  are  in  the  palace  garden  near  the 
eastern  end  of  the  Cathedral.  In  this  connection  I  quote 
the  following  :  "  The  essence  of  a  Cathedral  is  its  being 
beyond  all  other  churches,  the  church  of  the  Bishop.  It 
is  the  church  which  contains  his  official  seat  or  throne, 
and  it  is  by  taking  possession  of  that  official  seat  that  the 
Bishop  takes  possession  of  his  Bishopric.  From  that 
seat  the  church  and  the  city  in  which  it  stands  is  called 
the  Bishop's  See,  and  from  that  See  the  Bishop  takes  his 
title.  Thus  this  city  of  Wells  is  the  See  of  a  Bishop. 
In   Latin  the  seat  is  called  cathedra — a  word  which  in 


EMMA  J.  BARTOL  123 

English  is  cut  short  into  chair — and  the  church  which 
contains  it  is  called  ecclesia  cathedralis^  the  cathedral 
church." 

I  journeyed  from  Wells  to  Glastonbury  Abbey,  and 
then  to  Stonehenge,  a  place  which  has  baffled  ail  the 
geologists  and  scientists.  Delightful  visits  were  made  to 
the  Cathedrals  of  Salisbury  and  Winchester  with  their 
wealth  of  ancient  glories,  and  a  few  days  spent  exploring 
the  points  of  interest  in  and  around  Southampton,  and 
then,  with  a  friend,  I  took  a  steamer  for  the  Isle  of 
Wight.  We  sailed  by  Osborne  Castle,  whose  flying 
banners  showed  that  Queen  Victoria  was  in  residence 
there,  and  eventually  we  arrived  at  Ventnor  where  we 
made  our  headquarters  at  the  Marine  Hotel.  The  view 
from  there  of  the  English  Channel  is  superb.  We  made 
arrangements  to  have  a  carriage  for  three  days  to  drive 
us  around  this  picturesque  Island,  and  most  interesting 
days  they  were.  We  visited  the  quaint  old  churches  and 
climbed  St.  Boniface  Downs.  The  weather  was  superb 
and  the  scenery  well  worth  the  effort.  At  Freshwater  I 
took  the  long,  steep  walk  over  the  high  downs  to  the 
Fort  and  was  well  rewarded  by  another  magnificent  view, 
an  expanse  of  water  on  one  side,  and  the  beautiful 
slopes  of  England  on  the  other.  No  spot  on  the  Island 
is  so  steeped  in  romantic  interest  as  Carisbrooke  Castle, 
the  last  residence  of  the  unfortunate  monarch,  Charles  I. 
The  view  from  its  battlements  at  sunset  is  worth  a  trip 
across  the  ocean. 

In  August  I  gratified  a  desire  which  I  had  long  felt 
to  visit  the  group  of  Islands  off"  the  coast  of  France,  the 
best  known  of  which  are  Guernsey  and  Jersey.     It   is  a 


124  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

rough  trip  across  the  Channel  but  there  are  many  things 
to  see  in  these  unfrequented  places.  The  men  all  bathe 
in  the  sea  together,  but  the  women  use  the  clumsy  bath- 
ing machines  drawn  by  horses  into  the  shallow  water  and 
then  do  not  venture  far  away  from  them.  There  are 
various  excursions  out  from  Saint  Peter-Port,  their  inter- 
est lying  chiefly  in  the  narrow  winding  lanes  through  the 
deep  valleys  and  then  up  to  the  summit  of  the  cliffs  with 
their  splendid  views.  The  roads  are  excellent,  with  high 
banks  on  each  side  covered  with  violets  and  other 
flowers,  and  on  the  tops  are  rows  of  trees  which  form  a 
delicious  shade  on  sunny  days  and  give  them  the  appear- 
ance of  avenues.  Even  the  smallest  of  the  Islands  have 
these  fine  roads.  There  are  quaint  inns,  picturesque 
churches,  ruined  castles,  forts,  monuments,  and  many 
historic  reminders  of  the  long  centuries  when  these  rocky 
Islands  were  the  scene  of  continual  conflict.  For  many 
generations  past  they  have  been  in  the  peaceful  posses- 
sion of  Great  Britain.  Victor  Hugo  made  his  home  here 
after  he  was  exiled  from  France  and  he  wrote  several 
famous  novels  in  this  quiet  spot. 

Every  visitor  goes  across  to  St.  Michael  and  St. 
Malo  on  the  coast  of  France,  where  one  sees  the  highest 
tides  in  Europe,  the  fortresses,  cathedrals,  and  many 
quaint  phases  of  French  provincial  life. 

On  leaving  Guernsey  for  Weymouth  I  was  the  only 
passenger  and  had  the  saloon  all  to  myself.  I  visited 
Exeter  and  Torquay,  then  went  to  Plymouth  and  joined 
a  party  who  were  going  up  the  river  Tamar  by  steamer, 
a  pleasant  journey,  with  Devonshire  on  one  side  and 
Cornwall  on  the  other.      If  one  locality  in  England  may 


EMMA  J.  BARTOL  I2j 

claim  pre-eminence  over  all  others  for  variety  and  beauty 
of  scenery,  the  palm  must  go  to  Devonshire,  with  its  fif- 
teen beautiful  rivers,  its  high  hills,  its  deep  forests  and  its 
magnificent  estates.  At  Plymouth,  dear  to  Americans 
from  its  associations  with  the  Mayflower,  one  remembers 
especially  Mount  Edgecomb,  loveliest  of  spots,  and  Tor- 
quay brings  memories  of  Vane  Hill  with  its  unsurpassed 
views,  St.  Michael's  Mount,  Logan  Rock,  the  Wishing 
Well,  Cam  Brae  Castle,  the  Dingdong  Mine,  in  opera- 
tion before  Christ  came — all  these  and  scores  of  other 
curious  and  interesting  features  are  inseparably  connected 
with  Penzance,  Land's  End,  Illogan  and  the  other  points 
of  the  extreme  southwestern  point  of  England,  where  an 
entire  summer  might  be  spent  without  exhausting  its 
attractions. 


126  REC0LLEC7JI0NS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

As  September  (1883)  approached  I  remembered  my 
promise  to  meet  Mrs.  J.  Heron  Foster  and  her  daughter 
Julia  and  Rachel  (Avery),  and  so  I  reluctantly  left  Eng- 
land, which  is  so  beautiful  in  the  early  autumn,  and  turn- 
ed my  face  southward.  From  Weymouth  to  Cherbourg 
I  was  again  the  only  passenger  in  the  ladies'  saloon.  I 
went  directly  via  Paris  to  Geneva,  a  twelve-hour-and-a- 
quarter  journey,  and  fortunately,  there  were  four  Sisters 
of  Charity  in  the  carriage,  who  had  a  bottle  of  wine  and 
a  lunch  which  they  insisted  on  sharing  with  me.  In 
many  ways  they  made  pleasanter  for  me  the  long,  hot 
and  dusty  trip. 

On  arriving  at  my  destination  I  found  my  friends 
already  there.  Nothing  can  surpass  the  beauty  of  the 
shores  of  Lake  Geneva  with  their  picturesque  meadows 
and  vineyards,  villas  and  churches,  exquisite  waterfalls 
and  green  slopes  gradually  rising  to  steep  precipices  and 
finally  to  rugged  mountain  crests  that  are  lost  in  the 
clouds.  We  went  by  steamer  to  the  Castle  of  Chillon, 
made  forever  famous  by  the  poet  Byron.  It  is  a  fine 
example  of  ancient  Gothic  architecture,  which  was  men- 
tioned in  history  in  the  ninth  century,  and  is  an  unspoiled 
specimen  of  a  feudal  stronghold  with  drawbridge,  towers 
and  deep  dungeons.  After  many  pleasant  trips  we 
finally  sent  our  trunks  by  petite  vitesse  to  Chiasso,  Italy, 
allowing  twelve  days  for  their  transportation,  and  with 
our  small  baggage  we  left  Geneva  by  diligence.  We 
were    fortunate    in    obtaining    good     outside    seats    that 


EMMA  J.   BARTOL  I2? 

enabled  us  to  see  the  scenery,  which  it  would  be  pre- 
sumptuous even  to  attempt  to  describe,  and  finally 
reached  the  celebrated  region  of  the  Chamounix. 

After  a  day's  rest  we  ascended  the  Montanvert,  a 
three-hours'  trip  on  mules,  and  had  a  glorious  view  of 
the  Mer  de  Glace.  The  next  day  we  had  recovered 
sufficiently  to  ascend  the  Glacier  de  Bossons  in  the  same 
way.  This  trip  through  the  mountains  was  made  entirely 
by  carriage  and  on  horseback,  giving  an  opportunity  to 
see  the  daily  life  of  the  people  that  could  not  be  had  by 
any  other  mode  of  travel.  We  left  Chamounix  by  the 
Glacier  Argentiere  Chatelard,  rested  two  hours  at  Tete 
Noire  and  passed  through  Martigny  to  Vernayaz,  arriv- 
ing late  in  the  afternoon  quite  ready  for  dinner  and  bed. 
The  next  morning  we  visited  the  Gorge  de  Trient  and 
the  Pissevache  Falls.  On  the  way  back  we  passed  a  field 
of  Indian  corn.  We  were  all  so  hungry  for  a  taste  of  it, 
not  having  had  any  since  leaving  America,  that  we  could 
not  resist  the  temptation.  We  asked  the  coachman  to  stop 
and  jumped  out  of  the  carriage  to  get  some.  We  found 
a  few  ears  just  right  for  boiling  and  took  several.  The 
next  consideration  was  how  to  get  the  corn  cooked,  as  it  is 
never  eaten  in  Switzerland  except  by  animals.  A  coun- 
cil resulted  in  the  decision  that  Rachel,  the  youngest  of 
our  party,  should  go  into  the  kitchen  of  the  inn  and 
superintend  the  cooking  of  it.  How  we  did  enjoy  those 
ears,  although  they  were  only  field  corn.  We  left  no 
grains  on  the  cobs,  and  gladly  paid  the  farmer  and  the 
cook. 

We   went   to   Leuk   by  train   and  then  on  foot  up 
the  ascent  to  Leukerbad,  the  hot  thermal   baths.     After 


128  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

a  steady  climb  of  three-and-a-half  hours  up  a  steep  moun- 
tain we  came  to  a  place  where  people  were  ascending 
and  descending  a  ladder,  with  merchandise  on  their  heads, 
the  explanation  being  that  they  lived  in  a  village  above 
the  precipice,  which  was  inaccessible  even  to  mules  or 
donkeys.  The  next  morning  some  of  us  started  off  on 
horseback  and  others  in  chairs  carried  by  porters,  and, 
having  stopped  at  St.  Nicolaus  for  dinner  we  arrived  at 
Zermatt  in  the  afternoon,  where  we  had  a  fine  view  of 
the  Matterhorn.  On  September  1 1  we  attempted  to 
ascend  the  Gorner  Grat,  by  a  bridle  path.  The  weather 
proved  unfavorable  and  after  going  three  hours,  we  met 
a  hail  and  snow  storm  which  gave  us  no  choice  but  to 
turn  back.  The  next  morning  being  clear  and  the 
weather  proving  propitious,  we  tried  again  to  reach  the 
top  of  the  Gorner  Grat.  Rachel  and  I  walked  until,  on 
account  of  the  altitude  and  the  difficult  paths,  we  gave 
out,  and  then  those  in  chairs  kindly  came  to  our  relief 
and  loaned  their  conveyance,  taking  their  turn  in  walk- 
ing. After  nearly  two  hours  of  hard  climbing  we  were 
again  overtaken  by  a  storm  which  made  the  road  slippery 
and  dangerous,  the  snow  covering  the  path  so  that  we 
could  not  see  the  way. 

After  a  night  at  Viesch  we  tried  the  ascent  of  the 
Eggischorn,  9,650  ft.,  but  it  was  bitter  cold  and  the  trav- 
elling was  both  difficult  and  dangerous.  When  almost 
at  the  top  Julia  and  myself  nearly  fainted  and  were 
obliged  to  dismount.  Fortunately  one  of  the  party  had 
some  medicine  and  after  awhile  we  were  able  to  proceed. 
Returning,  we  went  to  Munster  for  the  night  and  found 
a  miserable  hotel,  the  only  one  in   the   place,  which  had 


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EMM A  J.  BARTOL  i2g 

only  one  entrance  for  horses,  carriages  and  guests,  and 
the  only  bedroom  being  over  the  stable  where  the  odors 
and  noises  were  most  exasperating.  We  left  as  early  as 
possible  the  next  day  and  went  to  the  Rhone  Glacier, 
then  on  to  Goeschnen  and  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Gothard. 
We  decided  to  go  over  the  St.  Gothard  Pass  in  our  own 
carriage  and  were  well  repaid.  The  scenery  was  grandly 
picturesque.  The  waterfalls  dashing  down  the  perpen- 
dicular sides  of  the  mountains  thousands  of  feet  called 
forth  constant  ejaculations  of  wonder  and  delight  until 
finally  words  failed  and  we  simply  gazed  in  silent  won- 
der. We  rested  the  horses  at  Airolo,  took  luncheon 
at  the  other  end  of  the  great  tunnel,  and  ended  our  forty- 
five-mile  ride  at  Biasca. 

Our  next  stop  was  at  Bellinzona  and  then  we  reached 
beautiful  Lugano,  overlooking  the  lake  of  the  same  name, 
where  one  would  love  to  linger  indefinitely.  We  visited 
the  exquisite  chapel  on  the  summit  of  Monte  San  Salva- 
dore,  where  there  is  one  of  the  most  glorious  views  of 
Switzerland.  At  Isola  Bella  we  spent  the  night,  inspect- 
ed the  Palace  and  roamed  through  the  narrow  streets. 
And  so  we  went  to  one  and  another  of  the  fascinating 
spots  that  cluster  about  the  Italian  Lakes,  some  of  which 
must  be  visited  by  carriage  and  others  by  steamer  or  row- 
boat. 

At  Chiasso  we  found  our  baggage  which  had  arrived 
from  Geneva.  It  took  three  hours  to  have  it  examined, 
but  the  traveller  in  Italy  learns  patience.  We  reached 
lovely  Como  at  last  and  visited  its  interesting  cath- 
edral, noted  chiefly  for  the  fine  sculptures  on  the  exterior. 
Who  that  ever  has  experienced  it  can  forget  a  sail  down 


ijo  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

Lake  Como — its  borders  lined  with  elegant  villas,  the 
hedges  of  oleanders,  the  wilderness  of  vines  falling  over 
the  walls  into  the  blue  waters,  the  hills  rising  in  the  back- 
ground covered  with  groves  of  orange,  citron,  fig  and 
walnut  trees!  An  entire  summer  would  be  none  too 
short  a  time  to  see  the  beauties  of  these  Italian  Lakes. 

At  last  we  went  to  Brescia,  one  of  the  most  ancient 
cities  of  Italy,  the  scene  of  many  conflicts  in  the  past 
centuries.  Here  there  is  an  old  cathedral,  begun  in  660, 
and  an  imposing  new  one  not  yet  a  hundred  years  old. 
But  neither  is  so  attractive  as  the  ancient  church  of  St. 
Azra  which  has  among  its  fine  paintings  Titians'  "Woman 
Taken  in  Adultery."  All  the  old  churches  contain  rare 
works  of  art.  There  is  an  excellent  museum  of  Roman 
antiquities  and  one  of  the  most  interesting  cemeteries  in 
Europe.  Travellers  make  a  mistake  who  omit  Brescia 
from  their  itinerary. 

Verona  needs  no  eulogium.  The  wide  and  rapid 
Adige  is  crossed  by  noble  bridges,  one  of  them  dating 
from  the  Roman  occupation.  The  town  is  entered  by 
a  wide  and  imposing  street,  but  of  course  one  must  get 
into  the  narrow  and  crowded  portions  to  find  the  remains 
of  its  ancient  splendors.  Not  only  is  it  filled  with  his- 
torical reminiscences  but  it  has  been  immortalized  by 
Shakspeare  in  more  than  one  play.  The  home  and  the 
tomb  of  Juliet  are  pointed  out  to  gullible  tourists. 
Among  its  forty  or  fifty  churches  many  are  distinguished 
for  their  magnificent  chapels,  tombs,  paintings  and  fres- 
coes. That  of  Zanzenone  is  most  curious.  No  other 
place  offers  such  an  opportunity  to  study  the  works  of 
Paul  Veronese,  who  was  born  and  resided  here.     The 


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EMMA  J.  BART 01  iji 

ruins  of  the  Coliseum  are  only  surpassed  by  those  in 
Rome.  The  construction  of  the  old  palaces  attracts  the 
attention  of  architects.  Of  the  many  fine  tombs  those  of 
the  Scaligers  are  the  most  noted. 

Is  there  any  American  who  does  not  look  forward 
to  sometime  seeing  Venice  ?  As  we  entered  a  gondola 
on  the  Grand  Canal  at  the  station  the  sun  was  setting  in 
all  his  glory  on  one  side,  and  the  full  moon  rising  in 
silvery  splendor  on  the  other,  the  rays  of  the  two  min- 
gling on  the  water  and  making  a  scene  of  entrancing 
beauty  never  to  be  forgoten.  How  entirely  different  it 
all  was  to  the  noise  and  bustle  attendant  at  the  usual  rail- 
way station  !  The  quiet  and  soothing  effect  of  the  soft 
ripple  of  the  oars  was  most  delightful  after  the  long  ride 
from  Verona. 

Under  a  full  moon  and  a  cloudless  sky  we  took  our 
first  evening  ride  on  the  Grand  Canal,  which  was  filled 
with  boats,  their  myriads  of  lights  dancing  on  the  waters. 
The  people  singing  and  the  bands  of  stringed  instruments 
made  it  appear  like  a  scene  of  enchantment  in  a  play  and 
kept  us  enthralled  till  late  into  the  night.  All  visitors 
to  Venice  go  through  the  same  programme.  First  of 
all  we  visited  the  Cathedral  of  St.  Mark's  with  its  usual 
combination  of  Roman  and  Byzantine  architecture.  It 
is  unnecessary  to  describe  its  unsurpassed  mosaics,  its 
rich  marbles,  its  columns  of  verd-antique  and  porphyry, 
its  ancient  tombs — they  are  all  familiar  to  the  reading 
public.  And  where  in  all  the  world  is  there  anything  to 
equal  the  Square,  or  Piazza,  of  St.  Mark's,  and  the  ad- 
joining Piazzetti  ?  In  almost  every  civilized  part  of  the 
globe  one  finds  pictures  of  the  magnificent  Doges'  Palace, 


132  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

the  Giant's  Staircase,  the  Library,  the  old  Clock  Tower, 
the  two  massive  columns  with  the  Winged  Lion  and  the 
statue  of  St.  Theodore  looking  out  over  the  sea — and,  tow- 
ering over  all,  the  great  Campanile,  now,  alas !  a  mass  of 
ruins.  The  palaces  that  line  the  Grand  Canal  on  either 
side  have  been  made  familiar  by  Byron,  Browning, 
Howells  and  a  host  of  writers,  and  the  demand  for  the 
beautiful  pictures  of  the  canals  and  palaces  never  ceases. 

We  visited  all  of  them,  as  well  as  the  wonderful 
factories  for  marbles,  glass  and  lace,  and  at  the  latter 
place  we  yielded  to  the  temptation  which  no  woman  can 
resist  and  made  a  number  of  purchases.  We  crossed  the 
Rialto  and  went  to  the  market  place  and  saw  the  fruit, 
vegetables  and  fish  brought  in  little  boats  which  served 
as  market  stalls.  To  the  churches  of  course  we  went 
again  and  again,  especially  to  that  of  the  Frari,  with  its 
monuments  to  Titian,  Canova,  Doge  Giovanni  Pesaro 
and  other  famous  dead  ;  and  to  the  Academia  delli  Belli 
Arti  to  see  Titian's  great  Assumption  of  the  Virgin. 

I  chose  the  highest  room  in  the  hotel  in  order  to  see 
the  sun  rise  up  out  of  the  water  in  the  morning  and  sink 
behind  the  Campanile  at  evening,  and  found  such  ever 
fresh  delight  as  is  only  possible  on  one's  first  visit  to 
Venice. 

We  went  from  here  to  ancient  Padua,  a  city  of 
not  more  than  50,000  people,  with  over  one  hundred 
churches.  Here,  too,  there  are  a  number  of  canals  and 
the  public  square  is  surrounded  by  a  stream  of  water 
bordered  by  statues.  The  Botanic  Garden  has  some  of 
the  oldest  trees  in  Europe  and  there  are  several  palaces 
worth  visiting.      Its  celebrated   University   in  the   four- 


c/3 

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EMMA  J.   BARTOL  ijj 

teenth  and  fifteenth  centuries  attracted  students  from  all 
parts  of  Europe.  Galileo  was  a  Professor  there,  and 
Dante  and  Petrarch  were  among  the  students.  But  the 
focus  of  all  interest  is  the  wonderful  chapel  decorated  by- 
Giotto,  who  had  Dante  with  him  a  part  of  the  time  while 
he  was  doing  his  immortal  work. 

We  went  on  through  the  rich  plains  of  Lombardy 
to  Milan,  a  city  of  great  wealth  and  business  enterprise. 
There  one  turns  his  steps  first  of  all  to  the  Cathedral, 
considered  by  many  the  finest  in  Europe.  It  is  built 
entirely  of  white  marble  with  a  beautiful  central  tower 
and  spire,  a  wilderness  of  graceful  pinnacles  and  niches 
containing  innumerable  statues,  estimated  at  from  5,000 
to  7,000.  Among  the  many  interesting  churches  the 
Santa  Maria  delle  Grazie  most  attracts  the  tourist  because 
here  is  Leonardo's  famous  picture  of  "  The  Lord's 
Supper,"  almost  obliterated  by  time.  The  church  richest 
in  art  is  St.  Ambrosius,  where  the  German  Emperors 
used  to  receive  the  Lombard  crown.  The  Opera  House 
is  perhaps  the  finest  in  existence  and  seats  3,600 
spectators. 

From  Milan  it  is  but  a  short  journey  to  Genoa, 
situated  on  an  eminence  of  five  hundred  feet  and  com- 
manding a  magnificent  view  of  the  Mediterranean.  In 
front  is  the  harbor  crowded  with  shipping  from  all  parts 
of  the  world,  and  in  the  back  ground  rise  the  Apennines. 
This  was  the  birthplace  of  Columbus  and  one  sees  here 
tablets  and  monuments  to  his  memory.  Genoa  has  many 
fine  inhabited  palaces  and  some  of  the  carved  gates  of 
entrance  are  forty  feet  high.  The  cemetery  is  the  most 
remarkable  in  Europe,  many  of  the  monuments  having 


134  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

figures  sculptured  from  life  and  costing  thousands  of 
dollars. 

I  particularly  enjoyed  the  short  trips  from  here  to 
the  beautiful  and  picturesque  towns  in  the  neighborhood, 
embowered  in  trees,  vines  and  flowers  and  looking  out 
over  the  ocean.  A  day  was  spent  at  Carrara  visiting  the 
great  marble  quarries.  As  many  as  fourteen  oxen  were 
sometimes  required  to  haul  one  slab  of  the  pure  white 
marble.  There  are  a  number  of  artist's  studios  here 
right  in  the  heart  of  the  mountains. 

A  short  railway  journey  from  Genoa  took  us  to 
Monaco,  or  Monte  Carlo,  the  noted  resort  for  gambling. 
It  is  an  independent  principality  of  six  square  miles  in 
one  of  the  loveliest  locations  on  the  Mediterranean,  ten 
miles  from  Nice.  It  contains  the  old  town  of  Monaco 
with  its  castle  and  palace  ;  the  Condamine,  where  the  sea 
baths  are;  Moulins,  a  little  place  on  East  Bay;  and  Monte 
Carlo,  with  its  casino,  gardens,  terraces,  reading  rooms 
and  concert  hall,  where  excellent  concerts  are  given  twice 
a  day.  The  climate  is  exquisite  and  the  walks  in  the 
environs  are  unsurpassed  for  beauty,  while  at  many  points 
there  are  superb  views  of  ocean  and  mountains. 

We  went  to  Nice,  the  beautiful  Cannes,  and  then  to 
Marseilles.  The  latter  city  is  distinctly  divided  into  the 
old  town  and  the  new:  the  old  with  the  landmarks  of  the 
centuries,  the  new  with  wide  streets,  handsome  houses, 
and  all  the  appliances  of  modern  business  life.  We  visi- 
ted the  Zoological  Garden,  Chapelle  de  Notre  Dame, 
the  palace  of  the  Empress  Eugenie  and  other  points  worth 
seeing.       It   was    now  December  and  growing  cold.     I 


EMM  J  J.  BJRTOL  i35 

began    to  think  about  going  back  to  America  and  as  a 
step  toward  it  I  took  the  train  for  Paris. 

The  steamer  "Cienfuegos"  once  more  carried  me  to 
Old  England,  and  New  Year's  Day  found  me  at  Rhyl, 
North  Wales,  visiting  my  Cousin  Fanny  Lewis,  who  had 
married  a  Welch  minister.  The  eight  bells  of  St.  Thom- 
as rang  out  the  old  year  and  ushered  in  the  new.  The  day 
being  raw  and  gloomy,  we  hugged  the  little  coal  fire  and 
reviewed  the  things  that  happened  and  the  lives  gone  out. 
On  Jan.  3rd,  I  sailed  in  the  "  City  of  Chicago"  from 
Liverpool  and  arrived  at  Queenstown  at  eight  the  next 
morning  in  a  heavy  fog.  The  first  day  out  proved  brighter 
and  cheerier  than  any  I  had  seen  during  all  the  time  I  had 
been  in  England;  there  was  a  fine  sea  and  pleasant  breeze, 
but  on  the  next  day  a  heavy  storm  set  in  and  tor  days 
the  spray  was  flying  over  the  deck  so  that  it  was  impos- 
sible to  go  outside.  Some  days  we  made  only  144 
miles.  The  tables  were  nearly  deserted  by  the  passen- 
gers, and  the  vessel  lurched  so  it  was  as  much  as  I  could 
do  to  sit  still  or  read  or  knit.  At  last,  after  a  four-days' 
storm,  the  sun  came  out  in  a  shy  kind  of  way  but  one 
could  see  it  raining  all  around.  It  continued  to  be 
squally,  but  I  managed  to  get  a  little  exercise  on  deck, 
although  it  was  dark  and  dreary  all  the  way  across.  We 
passed  Sandy  Hook  in  a  snow  storm  and  finally  arrived 
in  New  York  harbor  at  noon  on  January  15.  My  hus- 
band and  sister  Isabel  were  at  the  wharf  to  meet  me, 
and  by  six  o'clock  I  was  in  my  own  house  in  Philadel- 
phia. The  next  day  our  children  and  grand-children, 
seventeen  in  all,  came  to  supper  and  to  welcome  me 
home. 


ij6  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

I  had  been  home  exactly  three  weeks  when  on 
February  7,  1884,  I  started  on  a  trip  with  Mr.  Bartol 
and  a  party  of  friends  to   Mexico  and  Central  America. 

It  was  a  warm  bright  day  when  we  reached  New 
Orleans,  and  we  took  a  carriage  and  rode  around  to  see 
this  really  interesting  city.  The  old  part,  with  its  narrow 
streets  and  French  names,  reminds  one  of  a  European 
town,  and  dates  back  to  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth 
century.  It  may  almost  be  said  to  have  been  reclaimed 
from  the  waters  and  to  be  wanting  to  return  to  its  own. 
There  are  about  twenty  cemeteries  in  and  around  the 
city  and,  on  account  of  the  water  being  so  near  the  sur- 
face, all  burials  are  above  ground  when  families  are  able 
to  bear  the  expense.  Many  of  the  monuments  are  very 
beautiful,  reminding  one  of  Pere  la  Chaise  in  Paris,  and 
a  visit  to  some  cemetery  is  part  of  the  regular  sight- 
seeing. The  seven  markets  afford  an  entertaining  study 
of  the  colored  people,  and  the  "  old  French  market  " 
illustrates  the  Creole  life.  There  are  many  handsome 
parks  and  some  good  statues.  The  luxuriant  vegetation 
adds  much  to  the  beauty  of  this  great  shipping  port. 

We  went  from  New  Orleans  to  "  Eden  Hall,"  the 
large  McCall  plantation,  and  here  we  rode  all  round  the 
sugar  cane  fields  and  immense  swamps.  It  was  very  hot 
in  the  sun  but  so  cold  evenings  that  it  was  necessary  to 
have  fires.      It  was  just  the  season  of  cane  planting,  and 


EMMA  J.   BARTOL  137 

blackberries  were  in  bloom  and  the  scent  of  the  violets 
filled  the  air. 

The  next  day  we  left  by  steamer  for  Galveston  and 
arrived  there  at  midday.  There  was  a  party  of  fifteen 
from  Minneapolis  on  board,  who  were  taking  the  same 
trip  we  were.  The  weather  was  delightful,  the  air  soft 
and  balmy,  and  there  were  beautiful  trees  and  flowers 
everywhere.  We  went  from  there  to  Vera  Cruz,  which 
was  reached  at  daylight,  but  we  could  not  land  on  ac- 
count of  a  violent  windstorm.  The  steamer  was  obliged 
to  take  refuge  behind  the  Island  "  Sacrifice ';  and  we 
utilized  the  time  in  writing  letters  home.  We  were 
able  to  land  the  next  day  and  went  to  the  Hotel  Dili- 
gencia.  We  were  much  amused  here  to  find  that  turkey 
buzzards  are  the  scavengers  of  the  town  and  valued  for 
the  important  service  they  perform.  They  have  very 
sharp  eyes  and  silently  stand  like  sentinels  waiting  for 
the  offal  and  refuse  to  be  thrown  in  the  streets  and  then 
swoop  down  upon  it,  eating  what  they  want.  When 
gorged  they  retire  to  the  tops  of  the  houses  and  the 
markets,  and  even  perch  on  the  Cathedral.  It  is  need- 
less to  add  that  yellow  fever  and  similar  diseases  are  ever 
present  in  this  polluted  city. 

No  one  who  has  read  Prescott's  fascinating  histories 
can  fail  to  be  interested  in  Mexico.  It  contains  much 
that  is  novel  and  interesting,  but  the  traveller  must  make 
up  his  mind  to  endure  many  hardships.  On  account  of 
the  heat  trains  start  very  early.  We  left  Vera  Cruz  soon 
after  six  and  reached  Orizaba  at  eleven,  just  in  time  for 
breakfast.  The  train  was  quickly  surrounded  by  natives 
selling   tortillas,  small   cakes   made   of  maize   flour   and 


i38  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

baked  on  hot  stones.  We  took  a  beautiful  drive  to  a 
noted  hacienda  (estate),  passing  seven  charming  waterfalls 
and  endless  masses  of  lovelv  flowers. 

After  leaving  Orizaba  the  first  part  of  the  ride  was 
very  enjoyable,  winding  in  and  out  of  defiles  with  the 
sparkling  river  in  sight,  but  the  latter  part  passed  through 
alkali  plains  and  was  most  trying.  The  fine  dust  pene- 
trated everywhere,  obliging  us  to  have  all  the  car  win- 
dows closed  and  to  muffle  ourselves  with  veils,  but  even 
then  we  inhaled  the  acrid,  biting  particles.  We  were 
completely  worn  out  and  only  too  thankful  when  we 
arrived  at  the  City  of  Mexico  at  eight  in  the  evening. 
Those  who  have  been  across  the  alkali  plains  of  our  own 
"  American  desert ';  will  appreciate  our  discomfort. 
Verily  one  pays  for  travelling  in  more  ways  than  one. 

Mexico,  7,500  feet  above  the  sea,  is  a  large  and 
splendid  city  that  comes  upon  the  traveller  as  a  pleasant 
surprise.  It  is  built  in  Spanish  style  and  crowned  with 
many  domes  and  steeples.  The  streets  are  long,  broad 
and  regular,  and  the  houses  are  generally  three  stories 
high  and  built  of  solid  blocks  of  stone,  with  the  flat  top 
enclosed  by  an  ornamental  balustrade.  The  location  of 
the  city  is  superb  and  it  has  many  fine  parks  and  prom- 
enades. Its  Arena  holds  3,000  spectators  and  the  bull 
fight  is  a  favorite  spectacle.  The  ancient  aqueducts  are 
a  marvel  of  engineering.  We  went  to  a  hotel  which 
was  in  former  times  a  palace  and  it  was  certainly  a 
most  unique  place.  It  was  Sunday  and  we  found  a 
band  of  music  in  the  Plaza  which  was  thronged  with 
people.  There  were  booths  where  candies,  fruits  and 
drinks  were  sold,  and  altogether  it  was  a  gay   and  pic- 


EMMA  J.   BARTOL  139 


turesque  scene.  The  next  day  we  took  a  ride  in  the 
street  cars  which  encircle  the  city.  Among  the  many 
sights  visited,  was  the  state  carriage  that  Maximilian 
and  poor  Carlotta  rode  in,  also — in  the  fine  Cathedral — 
the  Sacrificial  Stone  of  the  ancient  Mexicans  and  the 
Aztec  Calendar  Stone.  Shrove  Tuesday  we  went  to  the 
Carnival  in  which  we  were  disappointed,  as  we  had  seen 
this  spectacle  before  on  a  much  larger  scale. 

Noticing  some  beautiful  birds  standing  on  perches 
for  sale,  I  was  puzzled  to  know  why  they  did  not  fly 
away,  and  was  told  that  they  were  forced  to  swallow  such 
a  quantity  of  lead  that  they  were  unable  to  move.  We 
made  a  trip  to  Gaudalupe  to  see  the  church  with  solid 
silver  altar  railings.  We  also  went  to  the  market  where 
we  bought  ripe  tomatoes  in  February.  We  visited  the 
Monte  Piedad  (National  Pawn  Shops)  where  the  poor 
nobility  have  pawned  their  priceless  jewels,  and  saw  some 
exceedingly  large  diamonds  and  pearls.  We  rose  at  half- 
past  four  one  morning  and  took  the  train  to  Toluca, 
11,860  ft.  above  the  sea,  and  after  enjoying  the  fine 
scenery,  returned  in  time  for  an  eight  o'clock  break- 
fast. We  visited  the  Academy  of  Fine  Arts,  and  saw 
many  good  pictures  by  Mexican  artists.  From  the  city 
of  Mexico  we  went  to  Puebla  and  inspected  the  old 
Cathedral,  the  State  College,  the  baths,  Maternity  Hos- 
pital, onyx  factory  and  theatre.  We  went  also  to  the 
Cholula  Cathedral  and  Pyramid.  On  the  last  evening 
of  our  stay  in  Mexico  we  saw  the  sun  set  behind  Mt. 
Popocatepetl.  When  we  left  we  crossed  the  divide  be- 
tween the  Pacific  Ocean  and  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

We  sailed  from  Vera  Cruz  for  Havana  with  a  smooth 
sea  and  warm,  clear  weather.     At  Campeachy  the  ship 


140  RECOLLECTIONS   OF  A  TRAVELLER 

discharged  and  took  on  cargo  all  day,  mostly  hammocks, 
Sisal  hemp  and  hides.  In  some  places  the  sea  was  red 
with  locusts.  Crowds  of  natives  came  on  board  with  all 
sorts  of  things  to  sell,  from  parroquets  to  tortoise  shell 
combs.  Some  of  the  party  bought  several  of  these  hand- 
some birds  but  I  felt  that  it  would  be  a  cruelty  to  take 
them  to  a  cold,  Northern  climate.  On  deck  were  a 
number  of  huge  turtles  lying  on  their  backs,  some  of 
them  weighing  300  lbs. 

We  sighted  Cuba  the  next  morning  and  landed  in 
Havana  before  noon.  We  went  to  the  sea-baths,  which 
were  simply  hollow  caves  in  the  shore,  with  an  opening 
toward  the  sea  too  small  to  admit  sharks,  but  the  surf 
was  breaking  over  them  so  heavily  that  bathing  was  im- 
possible. I  visited  the  palace  gardens  but  found  the 
beautiful  trees  had  been  cut  down  and  a  great  change  had 
taken  place  since  I  was  there  years  before.  In  Havana 
we  were  with  friends  and  in  the  mornings  we  walked  and 
shopped,  while  in  the  evenings  we  sat  on  the  roof,  which 
was  flat  with  balustrades  all  around  and  arranged  for  the 
out-door  family  life  characteristic  of  warm  countries. 
Often  we  went  to  the  Plaza  to  hear  the  band  play  and 
had  tomales  and  lime-ade.  There  were  manv  interesting 
things  to  see  here — the  Cathedral  in  which  there  is  a  bust 
of  Columbus,  the  fish  market,  where  the  display  is  well 
worth  looking  at,  the  parks,  the  forts  and  the  wharves — 
all  having  a  foreign  air. 

Ants  are  one  of  the  pests  of  Cuba  and  they  reach 
such  proportions  that  they  eat  into  the  joists  of  the 
houses  and  weaken  them.  When  they  attack  a  tree  they 
very  quickly  denude  it  of  all  foliage.      I   have  seen  two 


EMM  J  J.  BARTOL  i4i 

columns  on  a  tree,  one  ascending,  the  other  descending, 
each  ant  with  a  piece  of  leaf,  and  they  would  stop  on 
meeting  and  seemingly  salute  and  pass  on.  On  one 
occasion  I  was  awakened  in  the  night  by  something 
crawling  over  my  face  and,  springing  up  and  lighting  the 
candle,  I  found  that  the  cot  touched  the  wall  and  there 
was  a  regular  procession  of  ants  crawling  over  me.  As  a 
protection  against  the  abundance  of  insect  life,  the  legs 
of  the  bed  are  placed  in  dishes  of  water,  but  in  this  case 
the  mosquito  netting  happened  to  touch  the  wall  and 
made  a  bridge  for  them.  Just  as  the  immense  blood- 
hounds of  Cuba  lie  asleep  on  the  door-mat,  so  the  little 
lizards  sit  on  their  noses  and  keep  watch  to  jump  at  their 
own  particular  prey,  namely,  the  flies  that  are  so  trouble- 
some. 

We  started  for  Cienfuegos  by  steamer,  taking  break- 
fast on  board.  The  harbor  of  Cienfuegos  is  almost  land- 
locked. Looking  at  any  time  over  the  side  of  the 
steamer  one  can  see  the  sharks  playing  around,  and  woe 
betide  the  unfortunate  one  who  falls  overboard.  With 
the  intense  heat  in  the  day  and  the  chilly  raw-hide  cots  at 
night  I  took  cold,  and  the  fact  that  my  state  room  was 
full  of  ants  and  the  decks  swarming  with  mosquitoes 
added  to  my  misery. 

After  leaving  Cienfuegoes  we  sailed  along  the  coast 
all  the  forenoon  in  sight  of  the  picturesque  mountains, 
rising  hundreds  of  feet  out  of  the  waters,  and  at  noon  of 
the  following  day  we  arrived  at  Santiago  which  is  beauti- 
fully situated  on  the  side  of  a  hill.  The  next  morning  we 
rose  at  five  o'clock  and,  after  a  cup  of  coffee,  started  from 
the  ship  in  a  small  row  boat  to  see  the  town.     We  went  to 


i42  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

Cathedral  and  then  to  the  market  where  we  saw  many 
fish  that  were  remarkable  for  their  bright  coloring. 
The  natives  brought  these  and  birds  of  brilliant  plumage 
on  board  the  ship.  The  sea  seemed  alive  with  sharks 
and  garfish  and  at  night  these  monsters,  outlined  in  the 
phosphorescent  water,  darted  here  and  there  like  streaks 
of  living  fire. 

On  leaving  Santiago  we  ran  along  the  south  coast 
of  Cuba,  passed  many  of  the  islands  of  the  Bahama  group 
and  finally  reached  Nassau,  on  New  Providence  Island, 
the  capital  of  the  Bahamas.  This  spot  has  a  right  to 
claim  the  most  perfect  climate  in  the  Western  Hemis- 
phere, while  its  fishing,  drives  and  scenery  give  constant 
zest  to  a  sojourn  there.  The  coral  reefs  form  a  natural 
breakwater  and  good  harbor.  During  the  Civil  War  it 
acquired  a  bad  reputation  as  the  resort  of  the  blockade 
runners.  But  all  that  has  passed  away  and  now  it  is  a 
noted  winter  resort,  and  the  fine,  large  hotel  is  filled  with 
invalids  and  pleasure  seekers.  Its  luxurious  vegetation 
seems  to  spring  from  the  coral  rock  almost  without  soil 
and  the  air  is  filled  with  the  perfume  of  tropical  trees  and 
flowers.  The  cotton  tree  reaches  an  enormous  size  and 
the  palm  trees  seem  to  wave  their  plumes  among  the 
clouds.  The  hills  slope  down  to  the  transparent  water 
which  is  of  an  exquisite  shade  between  torquoise  blue 
and  delicate  green,  and  it  is  so  clear  the  white  sand  can 
be  seen  on  the  bottom  several  fathoms  deep. 

Palm  Sunday  we  went  to  St.  Agnes  Church.  In 
the  afternoon  we  walked  on  the  Esplanade  and  returned 
up  the  hill  and  through  the  woods,  obtaining  beautiful 
views  of  the  harbor  and  town  with  the  ocean  in  the  dis- 


EMMA  J.   BARTOL  I4J 


tance.  We  drove  to  the  Lakes  of  Killarnev  and  Cun- 
ningham,  whose  water  ebbs  and  flows  with  the  tides, 
doubtless  because  of  an  underground  connection  with  the 
ocean.  It  was  interesting  to  visit  the  ponds  where  the 
green  turtles  are  kept  for  the  Northern  markets  and  are 
fed  on  a  peculiar  kind  of  sea  weed.  They  come  at  call 
when  about  to  be  fed  and  gambol  together  showing  no 
fear  of  on-lookers.  We  took  a  long  ride  through  the 
Island  to  South  Beach  where  we  saw  the  mangrove 
bushes  growing  on  the  edge  of  the  water  and  covered 
with  oysters.  On  our  way  back  we  gathered  armsfull  of 
lovely  wild  flowers. 

When  we  sailed  for  home  we  found  on  the  ship 
fifty  of  the  big  turtles  we  had  seen  in  the  pond.  The 
poor  creatures  laid  on  their  backs  in  a  row  along  the  side 
of  the  deck,  with  plugs  of  wood  driven  through  their 
claws.  It  was  most  cruel  and  I  felt  that  I  never  again 
could  eat  any  preparation  made  from  turtles.  There 
were  such  severe  storms  and  heavy  swells  that  most  of 
the  passengers  were  hors  de  combat,  and  did  not  show 
themselves  for  a  day  or  two,  but  I  managed  to  enjoy  a 
salt  water  bath  each  morning  and  remained  on  deck. 
As  we  went  farther  northward  it  grew  cold  and  bracing. 
Glad  were  we  all  to  see  the  pilot  climb  the  ship's  ladder 
and  clamber  on  deck  when  we  reached  New  York  harbor, 
and  as  soon  as  we  were  on  shore  we  hastened  to  Del- 
monico's  for  an  American  breakfast  and  blessed  our 
lucky  stars  that  our  lot  was  cast  in  the  United  States. 


144  RECOLLECTIONS   OF  A  TRAVELLER 


CHAPTER  XV. 

It  would  be  quite  impossible  even  to  mention  the 
many  trips  I  have  made  to  various  points  of  interest  in 
the  United  States.  There  is  scarcely  a  watering  place  or 
mountain  resort  of  any  consequence  that  I  have  not 
visited  during  the  last  fifty  years.  Sometimes  I  took  a 
cottage  for  the  summer  and  had  my  family  and  friends 
with  me.  At  other  times  they  would  be  scattered  to  the 
four  points  of  the  compass,  and  I  would  go  with  a  com- 
panion or  maid  early  in  the  summer,  remain  at  one  place 
until  I  tired  of  it  and  then  go  to  another,  not  returning 
to  open  my  city  house  until  late  in  the  autumn.  For 
many  years  we  had  a  country  house  at  Ridley  Park,  near 
Philadelphia,  which  was  kept  open  all  summer  for  my 
husband  and  myself,  our  children  and  their  families,  as 
many  or  as  few  of  us  as  chose  to  occupy  it.  In  those 
days  that  was  a  desirable  residence  suburb. 

I  have  always  been  exceedingly  fond  of  travel 
and  never  could  be  contented  very  long  in  one  spot 
when  there  were  new  ones  to  be  explored.  People  have 
not  interested  me  so  much  as  places.  I  could  never  sit 
on  hotel  piazzas  for  hours  and  gossip  and  watch  my 
neighbors.  In  the  morning  and  evenings  I  wanted  to 
be  out  enjoying  the  beauties  of  nature.  Reading  has 
been  a  never-ending  source  of  enjoyment,  but  many  of 
the  most  delightful  hours  of  my  life  have  been  spent  in 
sketching  and  painting.  I  always  had  a  gift  with  the 
pencil  and  brush,  but  my  early  years  were  such  busy 
ones  that  it  was  not  until  I  was  nearing   middle  life  that 


EMMA  J.    BARTOL 


EMMA  J.  BARTOL  i45 


I  could  find  leisure  to  devote  myself  seriously  to  their 
use.  I  then  took  lessons  of  excellent  teachers  for  a 
number  of  years,  and  afterward  enjoyed  sketching  and 
painting  bits  of  nature,  and  especially  flowers,  during  my 
travels  in  all  parts  of  the  world.  I  have  crossed  the 
Pacific  ocean  twice,  but  how  many  times  I  have  made 
the  trip  across  the  Atlantic  I  have  not  the  slightest  idea. 
My  first  voyage  was  taken  when  1  was  18  ;  my  last,  to 
Jamaica,  when  these  figures  were  reversed  and  I  was  8  i  ; 
and  the  journeys  were  thickly  scattered  between.  I  am 
never  so  happy  as  when  I  see  the  land  fade  out  of  sight 
and  settle  back  in  my  steamer  chair  for  a  period  of 
absolute  rest,  free  from  all  cares  and  interruptions. 
Even  now,  at  the  age  of  eighty-four,  I  should  like  noth- 
ing better  than  to  pack  my  trunks  and  start  for  a  trip  to 
some  foreign  country,  and  I  am  only  deterred  because  of 
the  anxiety  this  would  cause  my  family.  While  probably 
I  shall  not  again  put  the  ocean  between  us,  I  count  the 
days  until  the  winter  shall  be  passed,  these  "  recollec- 
tions" finished,  and  I  can  plume  my  wings  for  at  least 
a  short  flight. 

In  September  of  1885  I  went  to  Europe  for  an  in- 
definite stay  and  did  not  return  until  October  of  1887. 
I  spent  the  winters  in  Italy  and  at  Lausanne  and  other 
charming  places  on  lake  Geneva  ;  the  springs  in  Paris 
and  its  beautiful  environs  ;  the  summers  and  early 
autumns  in  England  and  Scotland.  In  Europe  one  may 
thus  follow  the  seasons,  finding  at  each  place  delightful 
weather  and  such  an  entire  change  of  people,  customs, 
scenery  and  surroundings  that  one  need  never  grow 
weary  or  bored.     Those  who  have  not  travelled  abroad 


I46  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

cannot  understand  its  fascinations  or  why  it  is  that  per- 
sons can  be  contented  to  remain  away  from  their  own 
country  for  years  at  a  time.  One  also  may  have  in 
Europe  a  simplicity  of  life  and  an  independence  of  action 
that  seem  to  be  impossible  in  the  complicated  existence 
which  we  have  evolved  for  ourselves  in  the  United  States. 
At  various  times  during  these  two  years  different  mem- 
bers of  my  family  came  over  and  joined  me,  and  some- 
times I  travelled  or  sojourned  with  friends.  I  spent 
many  hours  in  the  libraries,  galleries  and  museums ; 
went  to  the  churches  and  theatres ;  shopped,  sewed  and 
painted,  and  I  think  no  two  years  ever  passed  so  quickly 
and  certainly  none  more  pleasantly. 

I  returned  with  Dr.  and  Mrs.  H.  C.  Register,  my 
son-in-law  and  daughter,  who  had  been  spending  the 
summer  with  me  on  the  Isle  of  Wight  and  at  Torquay, 
Bournemouth  and  other  English  watering  places.  We 
went  at  once  to  Ridley  Park  and  I  thought  I  had  seen 
nothing  in  Europe  more  beautiful  than  the  autumn 
foliage  there.  When  the  chill  frost  of  autumn  came  the 
city  home  also  seemed  very  delightful  and  I  was  soon 
immersed  in  the  daily  round  of  clubs,  hospitals,  charities, 
entertainments  and  social  affairs. 

During  the  past  five  years  Mr.  Bartol  had  been  grad- 
ually withdrawing  from  the  cares  of  business  and  resign- 
ing from  the  presidency  and  directorship  of  the  various 
companies  and  corporations,  and  the  boards  of  the 
educational  and  philanthropic  institutions  with  which  he 
was  connected.  He  had  led  a  most  active  and  industrious 
life  and  he  was  preparing  to  spend  the  remainder  of  it  in 
travel,  reading  and  the  society  of  family  and  friends,  and 


B.    H.   BARTOL 


EMM A  J.  BARTOL  I47 

enjoy  a  rest  which  he  had  fully  earned.  On  January  30, 
1888,  he  was  taken  with  what  seemed  to  be  a  slight  ill- 
ness, but  it  rapidly  developed  into  typhoid  pneumonia 
and  eleven  days  later  he  passed  away,  aged  seventy-one 
years.  The  funeral  services  were  held  at  the  house  and 
also  at  the  first  Unitarian  Church,  which  he  had  helped 
to  build  and  of  which  he  had  been  an  active  member  for 
over  forty  years.  They  were  impressively  conducted  by 
the  two  ministers  of  the  church,  the  Rev.  William  H. 
Furness  and  the  Rev.  Joseph  May,  and  the  body  was 
laid  to  rest  in  Laurel  Hill  Cemetery. 

Resolutions  of  respect  and  sorrow  were  passed  by  the 
Franklin  Institute,  the  Moyamensing  Literary  Institute, 
the  Women's  Homeopathic  Association,  the  Medical, 
Surgical  and  Maternity  Hospitals,  the  Union  Temporary 
Home  for  Children,  the  New  England  Society  of  Penn- 
sylvania, the  Board  of  Harbor  Commissioners,  the  Dela- 
ware Avenue  Market  Company,  the  Portsmouth  (Va.) 
Gas  Company,  the  Washington  (D.  C.)  Gas  Light  Com- 
pany and  other  philanthropic  and  business  institutions, 
with  which  he  had  been  officially  connected.  The  family 
received  also  telegrams  and  letters  of  condolence  almost 
too  numerous  to  be  counted.  Our  youngest  son,  George, 
prepared  a  memorial  to  send  to  friends  in  which  he 
summed  up  the  estimate  of  Mr.  Bartol  in  these  words  : 

"  Studious,  industrious  and  conscientious  as  a  boy, 
with  a  strong  love  for  his  parents  and  family,  he  carried 
into  his  daily  life  as  a  man  the  habits  and  characteristics 
of  his  childhood.  In  his  work  he  was  careful,  methodical, 
exact ;  in  his  dealings  with  subordinates  firm  yet  kindly 
and  considerate,  a  friend  to  whom  they  could  always  turn 


148  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

for  advice  and  assistance.  In  his  friendships  true  and 
sincere,  he  was  jealous  of  no  man  but  always  willing  to 
impart  his  knowledge  and  experience  to  those  asking 
counsel  and  advice.  In  society  cheerful  and  affable,  his 
kindly  manner  endeared  him  to  all,  and  he  was  most 
beloved  by  those  who  had  known  him  longest.  To 
charities  he  was  "  a  cheerful  giver,"  and  knew  no  rest  in 
doing  good.  In  his  family  life  and  in  his  home  he  found 
his  greatest  happiness  ;  tender  and  affectionate,  although 
without  demonstration,  his  love  for  his  family  was  in- 
tensely strong.  To  guard,  protect  and  encourage  his 
children  while  he  lived,  and  that  they  should  hold  his 
memory  in  affectionate  remembrance  when  he  was  gone, 
was  the  great  desire  of  his  heart.  His  life  was  singularly 
pure  and  free  from  all  reproach.  His  heritage  to  his 
children  was  an  honest  name,  unstained  by  any  act  of 
his,  and  an  example  well  worthy  of  their  imitation." 


EMMA  J.  BARTOL  I49 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

With  the  demands  of  business  now  added  to  those 
of  a  large  house,  I  found  my  mind  and  my  hands  filled 
to  overflowing,  and  I  was  glad  to  escape  by  going  to 
Atlantic  City  for  awhile  in  the  spring,  and  to  Marble- 
head,  Mass.,  and  later  to  Kennebunkport,  Maine,  for 
the  summer.  I  arrived  home  the  middle  of  September, 
superintended  the  putting  of  my  house  in  order,  and  set- 
tled down  for  the  winter,  but  by  the  middle  of  February 
I  was  worn  out  with  the  rigors  of  the  climate  and  decided 
on  another  sea  voyage.  My  family  advised  me  to  take 
a  trip  to  the  West  Indies  and  to  go  far  enough  south  to 
avoid  all  danger  of  bad  weather.  I  finally  concluded  to 
take  one  of  the  so-called  "  tramp  "  or  sugar  steamers  that 
go  down  to  the  Windward  Islands,  and  a  friend,  Miss 
Emeline  Candee,  who  was  spending  the  winter  with  me, 
volunteered  to  accompany  me.  We  left  New  York 
February  17,  1889,  on  the  ship  Barracouta,  for  a  six 
days'  journey  of  1,508  miles  to  the  southeast.  This 
carried  us  between  the  eastern  extremity  of  Porto  Rico 
and  the  Islands  of  St.  Thomas  to  St.  Croix,  the  first  of 
that  semi-circle  of  Islands  whose  lower  point  almost 
touches  Venzuela  in  South  America.  It  is  a  voyage 
which  cannot  be  recommended  to  those  who  are  poor 
sailors,  as  a  few  extracts  from  my  diary  will  show.  It 
was  a  cold,   dull,  foggy  day,  as   we  sailed   through  the 


150 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 


"  narrows,"  and  the  shore  on  either  side  looked  gray  and 
gloomy. 

Feb.  1 8th. — The  weather  has  steadily  grown  worse. 
The  vessel  pitched  heavily  all  night,  and  almost  every 
one  is  sea  sick  ;  the  few  who  are  not  meander  around 
with  a  melancholy  mien.  The  breaking  of  crockery 
and  the  banging  of  everything  moveable  is  dreadful,  and 
it  bids  fair  to  be  another  terrific  night.  The  cargo  has 
shifted  and  the  ship's  stores  have  broken  loose ;  soap, 
sugar  and  beans  have  joined  in  the  general  melee.  The 
rolling  of  the  ship  has  caused  a  number  of  accidents 
among  the  passengers,  and  a  sheep  and  two  fine  horses 
have  been  killed.  The  smoking  room  tables  were  torn 
from  their  fastenings,  and  the  gentlemen  sitting  there 
were  all  rolled  together.  One  unfortunate  had  his  face 
cut.     Sleep  is  impossible  because  of  the  deafening  noises. 

Feb.  20th. — The  ship  is  still  rolling,  the  rain  pour- 
ing, and  everything  flooded — the  water  splashing  from 
side  to  side  in  our  state  room  at  every  lurch.  The 
passengers  who  started  out  so  gaily  for  a  pleasure  trip 
look  limp  and  woe-begone. 

Feb.  2 1  st. — The  sea  is  calmer.  The  sun  rose  warm 
and  bright  and  we  are  able  to  sit  outside  for  the  first 
time  since  leaving  New  York.  The  decks  are  strewed 
with  wet  mattresses,  carpets,  wearing  apparel  and  effects 
of  all  descriptions  to  be  dried. 

Feb.  22d. — Washington's  Birthday  was  celebrated 
by  decorating  the  Social  Hall  with  British  and  Ameri- 
can flags.  All  the  talent  of  the  passengers  was  brought 
into  requisition,  and  music,  songs  and  recitation  made  us 
partly  forget  the  miseries  of  the  past  stormy  days.     The 


EMMA  J.  BARTOL  151 


weather  was  warm  but  showery.  The  Captain  and 
Purser  slept  in  the  Hall,  and  the  waiters  slept  on  mat- 
tresses in  the  corridors. 

Feb.  23d. — This  is  the  first  day  it  was  possible  to 
take  a  sea  water  bath.  Before  sunrise  many  were  on 
deck  looking  towards  the  land,  faintly  outlined  through 
the  semi-darkness.  The  sun  rose  in  splendor,  not  a 
cloud  to  obscure  the  vision,  and  before  us,  as  if  by  magic, 
appeared  the  lovely  Isle  of  St.  Croix. 

The  group  of  the  Lesser  Antilles  which  lies  in  the 
Caribbean  Sea  between  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  and  the  At- 
lantic Ocean  is  called  the  South  Caribbee  or  the  Wind- 
ward Islands.  They  lie  about  1,000  miles  southeast  of 
the  lower  part  of  Florida  and  are  supposed  to  be  the 
remains  of  a  mountain  range  which  in  remote  ages  con- 
nected North  and  South  America.  There  are  about 
twenty-five  of  these  Islands.  Steamers  touch  at  a  large 
number  of  them  to  take  on  their  products  which  gives 
tourists  an  opportunity  to  see  their  interesting  features. 
The  voyage  from  one  to  another  is  made  at  night,  which 
allows  the  day  to  be  used  for  sight-seeing.  The  climate 
is  very  hot  but  the  high  mountains  in  the  interior  create 
a  breeze  which  tempers  the  heat.  Every  variety  of 
tropical  vegetation  is  found  here,  from  the  sugar  cane 
and  cocoa  plants  on  the  shores,  to  the  giant  tree  ferns 
and  gum  trees  in  the  mountains. 

St.  Croix,  where  we  first  landed,  was  discovered  by 
Columbus  on  his  second  voyage.  There  is  no  harbor 
but  an  open  roadstead,  and  at  this  time  of  the  year  it  was 
as  quiet  as  a  mill  pond,  just  a  long,  easy  swell  that  was 
hardly  perceptible.     We  anchored  where  the  water  was 


ij2  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

ten  to  fifteen  fathoms  deep,  and  it  seemed  as  if  some  one 
had  emptied  there  millions  of  gallons  of  indigo,  so  blue 
was  the  water.  We  took  the  small  boats  and  in  five 
minutes  landed  at  the  queer  hamlet  of  Frederickstadt. 
How  quiet  and  strange  it  all  seemed  !  We  felt  as  if 
transplanted  to  another  sphere.  A  rambling  line  of  low, 
quaint  houses  was  strewn  along  the  shore,  but  on  landing 
we  were  delighted  to  find  a  pretty  little  town,  regularly 
laid  out  in  squares,  clean,  well  built,  and  inhabited  by  an 
English  speaking  people  of  various  shades  from  white  to 
black.  In  the  suburbs,  at  every  turn,  we  came  to  a 
handsome  residence,  each  with  its  windmill,  sugar  houses 
and  laborers'  huts  built  of  stone.  There  were  evidences 
of  the  most  industrious  cultivation,  while  the  fallow  lands 
were  one  carpet  of  exquisite  flowers.  Everybody  we 
met,  whether  walking  or  riding,  saluted  us  in  the  most 
polite  manner. 

At  the  end  of  the  wars  which  for  centuries  were 
waged  over  these  Islands,  this  one  remained  in  the  pos- 
session of  Denmark.  The  official  language  therefore,  is 
Danish,  but  the  common  language  is  English.  At  nine 
o'clock  we  left  the  ship  for  a  long  ride  and  lunched  at 
noon  at  Hills,  returning  in  time  for  dinner.  The  inhab- 
itants, ninety  per  cent,  blacks,  swarmed  over  everything. 
A  toy  Fort  guards  the  town,  and  the  mounted  guns 
might  possibly  be  formidable  looking  to  birds  and  flying 
fish.  It  was  market  day  and  the  natives  were  arriving 
from  the  country  afoot  or  in  their  little  donkey  carts. 
The  women,  tall,  erect  and  superb  in  their  semi-barbaric 
style,  carried  everything  on  their  heads.  It  matters  not 
whether  it  be  a  stick  of  sugar  cane  or  a  basket  of  coal, 


EMMA  J.  BARTOL  133 

everything  is  tossed  onto  the  top  of  their  woolly  heads 
and  off  they  go.  Though  St.  Croix  is  only  twenty  miles 
long  by  five  wide,  it  has  a  population  of  45,000,  nearly 
all  being  black  wage  earners  ;  and  such  wages  !  A  child 
gets  ten  cents  a  day,  a  woman  fifteen,  a  man  twenty,  and 
their  hours  are  from  sunrise  to  sunset.  Cocoanuts,  a  few 
tropical  fruits,  sweet  potatoes  and  yams  are  raised  for 
home  consumption  but  not  for  export.  Though  Danish 
in  Government,  the  inhabitants  have  for  years  closely 
affiliated  with  the  United  States. 

In  the  early  morning  we  found  ourselves  sailing 
through  a  narrow  channel  only  two  miles  wide,  with 
lofty  mountain  peaks  on  either  side.  One  was  Ben 
Nevis  on  the  Island  of  Nevis,  and  the  other  the  peak  of 
Mount  Misery  on  St.  Christopher,  more  commonly 
called  St.  Kitts.  The  clouds  still  obscured  the  sym- 
metrical cone  of  old  Nevis,  with  its  4,000  feet  of 
elevation,  but  not  its  wondrous  sloping  beauty.  Mt. 
Misery  lifts  its  head  3,700  feet.  Its  sides  are  clothed 
with  growing  cane  and  dark  green  foliage.  A  little  to 
the  east  is  a  smaller  mountain  called  Monkey  Hill.  We 
were  told  that  so  many  of  these  little  sportive  animals 
live  there,  that  all  we  had  to  do  was  to  put  our  hand  up 
on  any  swinging  branch,  and  they  would  drop  off  like 
apples  when  a  tree  is  shaken.  As  a  matter  of  fact  we 
saw  just  one  monkey  and  he  was  held  in  captivity.  It 
is  the  cabbies  who  tell  these  yarns  ;  they  are  alike  the 
world  over — fond  of  romancing — and  any  old  fib  goes  so 
long  as  they  think  a  passenger  can  be  captured  by  it. 

The  crater-jagged  Island  of  St.  Christopher  or  St. 
Kitts  is  thirteen  miles  long  and  from  three  to  six  wide. 


154  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

Its  wild  ridge  of  mountains  culminate  in  that  pyramid  of 
black  lava  known  as  Mt.  Misery,  which  has  on  its 
summit  a  crater  about  1,000  feet  deep.  St.  Christopher 
was  discovered  by  Columbus  in  1493  and  is  known  as 
the  mother  colony  of  the  Caribbees.  Here  were  founded 
the  French  and  English  settlements,  and  from  this  point 
the  Southern  Islands  were  gradually  peopled.  After 
being  fought  over  by  the  English  and  French  during  several 
centuries  it  was  finally  ceded  to  Great  Britain  in  1783, 
and  its  name  was  changed  to  St.  Kitts.  The  aboriginal 
name  was  Lia  Minga.  It  was  a  great  sugar  producing 
island  but  that  industry  is  almost  dead  now.  Reduction 
of  labor  and  want  of  employment  have  caused  great  dis- 
tress among  the  black  people  and  there  have  been  serious 
riots.  Mendicants  literally  swarmed  everywhere,  as  there 
are  about  400  persons  to  the  square  mile,  and  possibly 
twenty  blacks  to  one  white.  A  quiet,  gentle  negro,  with 
intelligence  displayed  in  his  countenance  and  using  excel- 
lent English,  begged  to  be  taken  away.  He  said  he 
would  do  anything  or  go  anywhere  ;  he  did  not  care  for 
wages,  if  only  he  could  be  relieved  from  starvation. 
Nearly  everywhere  one  sees  the  blacks  lying  under  the 
spreading  trees  sucking  a  piece  of  cane.  It  is  their  only 
intemperance.  During  our  entire  trip  we  did  not  see 
one  of  them  intoxicated.  The  dogs  also  are  very  fond 
of  the  sugar  cane. 

The  capital  and  principal  town,  Basseterre,  is  situ- 
ated on  an  inlet  of  the  sea,  from  which  there  ex- 
tends a  beautiful  and  fertile  valley.  Its  large  church, 
built  of  dark  stone  and  named  for  St.  George,  is  the 
pride  of  the   Islanders.     With  one  exception   it  is   the 


EMMA  J.  BARTOL  155 

largest  in  all  the  West  Indies,  and  has  been  recently 
renovated  and  partly  rebuilt.  After  every  hurricane 
some  big  buildings  have  to  be  extensively  repaired.  We 
commiserate  with  the  Islanders  for  their  hurricanes  and 
they  in  turn  feel  sorry  for  their  Northern  friends  who 
live  amid  frost,  snow  and  blizzards.  They  prefer  an 
occasional  hurricane,  and  perhaps  they  are  right. 

The  white  residents,  who  call  themselves  Kittfonians, 
live  in  tidy  wooden  houses.  The  elite  reside  on  the 
shore  and  around  a  pretty  little  park  at  the  eastern  end 
of  the  town  surrounded  with  stately  palms  and  tropical 
plants.  The  park  is  about  the  size  of  an  ordinary  city 
square  and  has  in  the  center  an  immense  banyan  tree. 
All  of  these  English  Islands  have  excellent  roads. 

Nevis  is  famous  as  the  birth-place  of  Alexander 
Hamilton.  In  the  old  Fig  Tree  Church,  a  few  miles 
from  town,  the  register  shows  that  Horatio  Nelson,  then 
a  Captain  in  the  British  Navy,  was  married  to  Fanny 
Nesbit. 

On  February  26th  (1889)  we  landed  at  St.  John's, 
the  capital  of  Antigua.  It  is  a  little  city  of  perhaps 
35,000,  and  has  busy  streets,  wide  avenues  and  some 
fine  buildings.  In  the  handsome  Public  Gardens  we 
saw  a  pond  filled  with  Victoria  Regia  lilies  in  full  flower. 
We  were  told  that  it  contained  alligators,  but  if  so  they 
kept  at  the  bottom.  In  the  center  of  one  wide  street 
and  extending  its  entire  length  was  a  pond  filled  with  the 
most  beautiful  aquatic  lilies  of  all  colors.  The  Cathedral, 
the  largest  in  the  Islands,  was  built  in  1793.  It  is 
situated  on  a  high  hill  back  of  the  town  and  from  its 
churchyard  is  a  fine  view   of  the   Island.     The   rolling 


i56  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 


surface,  the  many  large  estates,  and  the  numerous  wind- 
mills give  the  landscape  a  picturesque  appearance. 

We  landed  on  the  little  Island  of  Montserrat  long 
enough  for  the  Captain  to  give  us  a  picnic  in  the  woods 
near  Richmond.  A  large  party  went  to  the  picnic 
grounds  in  different  ways,  the  older  members  in  carriages, 
the  younger  ones  in  hay  carts  and  the  gentlemen  on 
horseback  ;  it  was  a  unique  experience.  The  principal 
products  for  export  are  arrow  root,  lime-juice  and  rum. 

On  the  morning  of  February  28th,  we  dropped 
anchor  at  Point  a  Pitre  in  the  harbor  of  Guadeloupe. 
We  went  ashore,  visited  the  market  and  bought  nutmegs 
and  vanilla  beans.  This  Island  is  the  largest  but  not  the 
most  important  of  the  group.  It  is  now  mostly  inhab- 
ited by  negroes,  who,  strange  to  say,  speak  to  this  day 
with  an  Irish  brogue,  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  earlier 
settlers  were  of  that  race.  A  story  is  told  of  an  Irish- 
man, who,  on  arriving  at  the  Island,  was  hailed  in  ver- 
nacular Irish  by  a  negro  from  one  of  the  boats  that  came 
alongside.  "  Thunder  and  turf,"  exclaimed  the  Irish- 
man, "  how  long  have  you  been  here  ?"  "  Thray 
months,"  the  black  man  answered.  "  Thray  months  and 
so  black  already  !  Be  the  Powers,  I'll  not  stay  among 
yez  !"  and  the  visitor  returned  to  his  own  Emerald  Isle. 

The  Island  is  divided  by  Rivere  Salie  (Salt  River) 
into  two  distinct  portions.  At  its  mouth  stood  the  im- 
portant town  of  St.  Louis,  which  was  entirely  destroyed 
by  an  earthquake  in  1843. 

As  the  voyager  sails  southward  the  Islands  grow 
more  attractive,  the  mountains  attain  greater  height,  the 
cliffs  are  more  precipitous  and  vegetation  becomes  more 


EMM  J  J.  BARTOL  157 


tropical.  The  climax  is  reached  in  Dominica  and  Mar- 
tinique, lying  one  on  either  side  of  the  parallel  of  150 
north  latitude,  and  separated  by  a  strait  thirty  miles 
wide.  Roseau,  the  principal  town  of  Dominica,  contains 
nothing  of  interest,  but  if  one  takes  time  to  go  by  the 
bridle  paths  up  into  the  mountains  one  finds  such  a  rich- 
ness of  vegetation  as  is  seen  nowhere  else  outside  of  the 
tropics.  At  a  height  of  2,000  feet  the  immense  trees  are 
a  mass  of  air  plants  and  luxuriant  vines.  About  300  feet 
higher  up  is  a  deep  lake  in  the  crater  of  a  volcano,  sur- 
rounded by  plants  of  rankest  growth  through  which  dart 
birds  of  blazing  plumage.  There  are  springs  of  boiling 
water  among  these  gloomy  mountains  and  in  their  recesses 
live  the  last  remnant  of  the  Carib  Indians,  from  whom 
Columbus  named  the  Islands  The  Caribbees.  Very  few 
tourists  visit  Dominica.  It  is  almost  wholly  inhabited 
by  the  blacks  who  can  survive  its  malarious  climate. 

One  of  the  best  known  of  the  group  is  Martinique, 
which  belongs  to  France  and  whose  people  speak  the 
French  language.  It  is  in  fact  a  group  of  mountain 
peaks  composed  of  masses  of  volcanic  rock.  These 
slope  down  to  the  sea  and  between  the  ranges  are  broad, 
irregular  and  very  fertile  valleys.  The  Island  contains 
380  square  miles,  about  two-fifths  of  it  under  cultivation, 
and  there  are  six  volcanoes.  At  the  time  of  our  visit  all 
of  these  were  supposed  to  be  extinct  and  no  one  dreamed 
of  the  terrible  catastrophe  which  occurred  thirteen  years 
later  when  Mt.  Pelee,  the  loftiest,  4,450  feet  high,  sud- 
denly burst  forth  and  buried  in  ashes  and  lava  St.  Pierre, 
the  largest  town  on  the  Island.  Its  picturesque  stone 
houses  were  covered  with  red  tiles  and   it   had   a  theatre 


158  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 


and  a  large  cathedral.  A  little  stream  of  clear  water  ran 
through  the  streets,  coming  from  the  mountains.  There 
were  fine  squares  with  pretty  fountains,  shaded  prom- 
enades, a  museum  and  a  suburban  public  garden.  The 
people  were  clean  and  attractive  and  ranged  in  com- 
plexions all  the  way  from  the  pure  white  of  the  French 
to  the  deepest  black.  The  colored  women  in  the  market 
place  were  most  picturesque  with  gay  turbans  and  quaint, 
characteristic  costumes.  There  were  excellent  hotels  and 
stores  filled  with  French  goods.  Now,  alas,  it  is  all  a  scene 
of  bleakest  desolation. 

Twenty  miles  from  St.  Pierre  is  Forte  de  France, 
the  seat  of  Government.  In  the  park  there  is  a  white 
marble  statue  to  Empress  Josephine,  who  was  born  on 
this  Island  at  Trois  Islets.  As  long  as  the  name  of 
Napoleon  figures  in  history  so  long  will  the  memory  of 
Josephine  be  cherished  and  this  spot  be  hallowed.  We 
bought  figs,  bananas  and  chocolate  paste,  visited  the 
Cathedral  and  saw  the  "  Travellers'  Joy,"  a  large  tree, 
the  leaves  of  which  contain  a  pure,  sweet  water. 

Martinique  has  been  called  the  central  bead  in  the 
necklace  which  encircles  the  throat  of  the  Caribbean  Sea. 
It  produces  practically  every  fruit  and  vegetable  native  to 
the  tropics,  and  among  its  exports  used  by  us  are  cocoa, 
ginger,  vanilla,  nutmegs,  cloves,  indigo,  aloes  and  arrow 
root.  Its  mountains  are  covered  by  primeval  forests, 
with  gigantic  tree  ferns  forty  feet  high,  and  liana  trees  from 
whose  branches  long,  rope-like  fibres  drop  to  the  ground, 
take  root  and  contribute  to  the  support  of  the  great  tree. 
In  the  ravines  are  found  the  "gommiers,"  or  gum-trees, 
whose  roots  spread  out  above  the  ground  as  a  foundation 


EMMA  J.  BARTOL  jjp 

for  the  immense  trunks,  five  or  six  feet  in  diameter  and 
rising  to  a  height  of  a  hundred  feet  or  more.  Words 
could  hardly  describe  the  bewildering  products  of  nature 
which  may  be  found  in  these  island  mountains. 

Our  ship  was  moored  next  at  Castria,  in  the  beautiful 
harbor  of  Saint  Lucia.  At  sunrise  we  were  surrounded 
by  a  swarm  of  half-naked  black  boys  in  little  boats  of 
every  description,  size  and  shape.  They  used  shingles 
as  paddles  and  the  crews  generally  consisted  of  two  boys 
to  a  boat.  They  were  famous  divers  and  were  as  much 
at  home  in  the  water  as  on  land.  We  spent  an  hour  be- 
fore breakfast,  forgetful  of  the  lovely  scenery,  intent  only 
upon  pitching  pennies  into  the  water  for  the  boys.  They 
would  poise  themselves  for  a  jump  and  as  soon  as  a  coin 
touched  the  water  a  dozen  or  more  were  after  it.  Down 
they  went  under  the  crystal  sea  and  as  soon  as  they  rose 
to  the  top,  they  would  put  the  coins  in  their  mouths  and 
look  up  for  the  next  in  a  manner  that  reminded  one  of  a 
dog  waiting  for  a  bone.  They  were  very  particular  as  to 
the  kind  of  money  and  spurned  all  but  French  and  English 
pieces.  For  a  shilling  they  would  dive  entirely  under 
the  ship  and  back  again. 

Saint  Lucia,  like  many  of  these  Islands,  has  its 
Soufriere,  or  sulphur  mountain,  which  towers  4,000  feet 
above  the  sea.  There  is  also  a  group  of  beautiful  high 
symmetrical  peaks,  shaped  like  pyramids  and  covered  to 
their  tops  with  verdure,  called  Pitons. 

St.  Vincent  to  the  south  is  an  Island  seventeen  miles 
long  by  ten  miles  wide,  with  nearly  fifty  thousand  inhab- 
itants. It  is  crowded,  like  all  these  Islands,  far  beyond 
its  capacity  for  decent  maintenance.     We  dropped  anchor 


160  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

at  daybreak  in  the  fine  harbor  at  Kingston,  the  capital. 
It  lies  on  a  plain  between  the  mountains  and  the  sea. 
There  is  a  stone  fort  perched  on  a  cliff  600  feet  high, 
from  which  may  be  had  a  magnificent  view.  A  ridge  of 
mountains  extend  through  the  middle  of  the  Island  its 
entire  length  and  reach  their  highest  point  in  the  vast 
crater  of  Morne  Garon,  which  was  the  scene  of  a  tremen- 
dous eruption  in  1812.  The  earthquakes  that  for  two 
years  had  terrified  the  West  Indian  region  and  the  South 
American  coast  culminated  at  that  time  in  an  explosion 
which  was  most  disastrous  and  far  reaching  and  has  been 
rivaled  in  recent  years  only  by  that  of  Krakatau  in  the 
Straits  of  Sunda. 

St.  Vincent  exports  sugar,  cotton,  molasses,  rum  and 
arrow  root.  We  drove  to  the  Belvidere  estate  where 
they  were  grinding  the  sugar  cane  by  wind  and  steam 
mills.  We  were  much  interested  in  the  preparation  of 
arrow  root.  The  field  is  sowed  the  same  way  as  Indian 
corn  that  is  to  be  used  for  fodder.  When  sufficiently 
matured  the  plants  are  dug  up  and  taken  to  the  mill 
where  the  roots  are  broken  off,  ground,  washed  and 
strained,  and  allowed  to  settle  for  a  few  days.  The 
ground  product  is  then  placed  to  dry  on  wire  frames 
with  different  sized  meshes,  through  which  it  gradually 
sifts  down,  and  the  powder  is  then  barreled  for  shipment. 

There  are  a  few  Caribs  remaining  in  St.  Vincent, 
the  remnant  of  a  large  number  who  lived  here  until  1796. 
At  that  time  Great  Britain,  to  whom  the  Island  belongs, 
deported  five  thousand  of  them  to  the  coast  of  Honduras. 
The  Governor  has  a   fine   residence   near   Kingston,  the 


EMM  J  J.  BARTOL  jfa 

gardens  of  which  are  noted  for  their  valuable  palm  and 
spice  trees. 

Barbados  is  the  most  easterly  and  one  of  the  largest 
of  these  Islands.  It  is  said  to  have  more  people  to  the 
square  mile  than  can  be  found  anywhere  outside  of  China, 
having  an  area  of  162  square  miles  and  162,000  inhab- 
itants. Of  these  150,000  are  negroes,  who  are  industrious 
and  moderately  intelligent.  The  Island  has  always  be- 
longed to  Great  Britain  and  is  governed  according  to  the 
English  system.  It  is  divided  into  parishes  and  has  a 
Governor  and  a  legislative  body  composed  of  two  houses. 
There  are  many  churches  and  schools.  In  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  locations  is  Codrington  college,  well  en- 
dowed in  1 71 6  by  Captain  Codrington.  Several  news- 
papers are  published.  Although  much  diversified  this 
Island  is  flat  in  comparison  to  the  others  and  of  an 
entirely  different  aspect.  It  is  not  so  picturesque  and 
the  immense  population  has  made  it  necessary  to  sacri- 
fice the  forests  to  agriculture.  Still  it  is  a  beautiful, 
triangular  shaped  country,  somewhat  oblong,  and  rises  by 
a  gradual  plane  to  the  Eastern  shore  where  cliffs  of  vol- 
canic origin,  over  a  thousand  feet  in  height,  seem  to  hold 
back  the  Atlantic.  The  highest  point  is  called  Chim- 
borazo,  over  1,100  feet  in  altitude.  This  is  the  healthiest 
of  the  Islands  and  the  climate  is  delicious.  The  trade 
winds  blowing  across  the  vast  expanse  of  the  ocean  bring 
air  which  in  freshness  and  purity  has  been  fittingly  com- 
pared to  champagne.  The  mild  climate,  good  roads, 
boating,  bathing  and  fishing  would  render  this  an  ideal 
winter  resort  but  other  conditions   operate   unfavorably. 

The  staple  product  of  the  Island  is  sugar  which 
employs  the  greater  portion  of  the  people.     So  desperate 


162  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 


do  the  cane  cutters  become  before  the  season  opens,  and 
so  eager  to  obtain  employment,  that  they  frequently  fire 
the  crops.     They  know  that  the  remainder  must  then  be 
cut  at  once,  whether  ripe  or  not,  to  insure  saving  at  least 
a  portion.     This  offence  is  considered  so  serious  that  a 
person  convicted   is   sentenced   to   fifteen   years  at  hard 
labor  with  the  lash   applied   on   his   bare   back   twice  a 
month.     The  laborers  of  the  Island  exist  on  from  three 
to   five   cents  a  day   per  capita.      Many   of  the  natives 
make  excellent  pottery  and  it  is  a   picturesque  sight  to 
see  them  walking  into  town   with  great   trays   of  brown 
earthenware  balanced   on   their  woolly  heads.     Some  of 
these  people  walk  twelve  or  fifteen  miles,  sell  their  wares 
and  then  return.      The  polishing   of  the  turtle  shells  is 
also  an  industry  which  reaches  a  high  state  of  perfection. 
The  traveller's  first  impression   of  Bridgetown,  the 
capitol  of  Barbados,  is  that  of  a  busy,  prosperous  city,  and 
the  impression  is  correct.      Its  exports  and  imports  every 
year  run  up  into   many  millions.     In  the  fine  roadstead 
which  the  city  overlooks  a  hundred  vessels  may  often  be 
counted.     A  regiment  of   English    soldiers  is  stationed 
here.      It   is   also  the  headquarters   of  the  Royal    Mail 
Steamship  Company,  the  pride  of  every  English  heart  in 
the  West  Indies,  the  great  artery  of  communication  that 
keeps  the  Islands  in  touch  with  the  mother-country.     As 
we  entered  the  harbor  it  was  gay  with    shipping,   brigs, 
barks  and  steamers.     The  flags  of  all  nations  seemed  to 
be  flying.     A  couple  of  cable  lengths  astern  lay  a  black 
four-masted  steamer  which  arrived  from   Cape  Town  the 
night  before  short  of  coal.     There  was  a  long  swell  on, 
and  Carlisle  Bay  had  many  vessels  at  anchor  bobbing  on 


EMMA  J.   BARTOL  163 

its  bosom.  The  water  was  alive  with  queer  looking 
lighters — all  sorts  of  small  boats — and  the  ever  present 
little  divers.  We  could  see  at  a  glance  that  Bridgetown 
was  a  closely  built,  glistening  white  city,  and  that  the 
wharves  were  teeming  with  life  and  color. 

Our  party  went  to  the  modern  Marine  Hotel  in  the 
pleasant  suburb  of  Hastings,  two  miles  out.  We  found 
Bridgetown  an  attractive  city,  with  good  churches  and 
public  buildings,  gigantic  ware-houses,  some  handsome 
residences,  clubs,  seaside  drives  and  lovely  beaches. 
There  were  excellent  shops,  some  of  them  very  large  and 
resembling  on  a  diminutive  scale  our  city  department 
stores,  and  the  prices  were  reasonable.  Apparently  they 
do  a  good  business,  not  only  with  the  Barbadians  but 
with  the  Islanders  of  the  entire  chain.  Many  an  Amer- 
ican as  well  as  Englishman  has  made  his  fortune  here. 

It  was  the  third  of  March  and  very  hot.  In  the 
garden  in  front  of  my  windows  there  were  two  comical 
monkeys  fastened  to  high  poles  on  which  were  boxes  for 
them  to  live  in.  The  poles  were  about  fifty  feet  apart, 
so  that  the  monkeys  were  chained  so  far  from  each 
other  that  they  could  not  fight,  which  they  often  tried  to 
do.  They  would  fly  at  each  other  but  find  themselves 
baffled  by  the  shortness  of  the  chain ;  then  they  would 
grin,  jabber  and  finally  run  up  the  poles  into  their 
houses.  There  were  also  two  parrots  whose  antics  were 
amusing. 

The  visitor  will  not  be  in  Bridgetown  long  before 
he  is  introduced  to  "  swizzles."  This  is  a  West  Indian 
beverage  which  defies  analysis  but  is  considered  very 
delicious  by  those  who  are  not  troubled  with  temperance 


164  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

principles.  It  is  a  "  mixed  drink  "'  and  takes  its  name 
from  the  "  swizzle  "  stick,  made  from  a  long  twig  having  a 
number  of  branching  ends  which  are  cleaned  and  polished. 
The  "  swizzle  "  is  twisted  rapidly  between  the  palms  in 
the  glass  containing  the  liquors.  It  takes  the  place  of 
our  American  "  shaker  "  and  is  much  more  effective. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  points  in  Bridgetown  is 
the  "ice  house."  It  got  its  name  from  the  fact  that 
many  years  ago  a  very  clever  young  Englishman,  without 
a  penny  but  with  plenty  of  friends,  conceived  the  idea 
that  ice  would  be  "  a  go  "  in  Barbados.  He  soon  had  a 
vessel  or  two  running  from  Boston  laden  with  it,  and,  as 
these  vessels  were  really  floating  refrigerators,  the  old- 
time  Boston  merchants  decided  that  it  would  not  be  a 
bad  idea  to  ship  cold  storage  goods  on  them.  So  the 
shrewd  Englishman  carried  his  freight  at  good  profit, 
sold  his  ice  and  shipped  back  sugar,  rum  and  everything 
in  sight.  The  house  which  he  built  for  storing  his  ice 
soon  became  known  as  Pandora's  box  from  which  one 
could  get  anything  that  could  be  eaten  or  drunk.  Begin- 
ning with  a  few  little  schooners  going  up  and  down  the 
Atlantic,  it  was  not  very  many  years  before  the  "  ice 
house  syndicate  "  was  known  all  over  the  world.  But 
only  a  remnant  of  its  former  greatness  exists.  Modern 
ice  machines  were  introduced  which  ruined  the  business 
and  now  the  famous  "  ice  house  "  is  a  restaurant  where 
the  hottest  sauces  can  be  found. 

From  Barbados  we  went  in  almost  a  vertical  line  to 
Georgetown  at  the  mouth  of  the  Demarara  River  on  the 
coast  of  South  America,  the  capitol  of  British  Guiana. 
It  was  a  long,  rough  trip  and  many  were  ill.     The  sea 


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EMMA  J.  BARTOL  z65 

changed  from  indigo  to  emerald  and  then  to  yellow  as 
we  neared  the  estuary.  The  city  is  regularly  laid  out 
and  the  streets  go  to  the  beginning  of  the  sugar  estates, 
which  extend  for  miles  inland.  They  are  broad  and 
white,  giving  full  sweep  to  the  sea  breezes,  and  are  bor- 
dered with  palms.  Canals  run  through  the  center  with 
bridges  for  the  cross  streets.  They  are  filled  with  tropi- 
cal plants  of  exquisite  form  and  color  and  in  many  places 
the  surface  is  entirely  covered  with  the  leaves  of  the 
Victoria  Regia,  the  giant  among  water  lilies.  Close  to 
shore  the  leaves  are  not  extraordinarily  large  but  they 
increase  in  breadth  as  they  float  farther  out;  a  few  yards 
off  they  are  as  large  as  soup  plates,  and  in  the  center  of 
the  pond  or  canal  they  have  a  surface  as  large  as  tea 
tables.  The  edges  are  turned  up  in  a  rim  and  they  hold 
water  like  a  great  dish. 

The  architecture  might  be  described  as  "  a  tropical- 
ized Swiss  style,  Swiss  eaves  developed  into  veranda 
roofs,  Swiss  porches  prolonged  into  beautiful  piazzas  and 
balconies."  To  avoid  dampness  the  houses  are  raised 
several  feet  above  ground  on  hardwood  posts,  and  they 
are  surrounded  by  gardens  of  most  luxurious  foliage. 
The  public  buildings  are  handsome  and  there  are  military 
barracks  and  a  hospital.  Long  rows  of  warehouses  jut 
out  into  the  water,  owned  for  the  most  part  by  the 
English.  The  mass  of  the  population  is  colored  and  the 
work  is  done  by  negroes  and  coolies. 

We  now  turned  northward  on  our  journey  and  faced 
the  North  Star  instead  of  the  Southern  Cross.  At  sun- 
rise we  sighted  the  precipices  and  forest-covered  moun- 
tains of  Trinidad,  the  largest  and  most  valuable  of  the 


i66  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

British  West  India  Islands.  It  is  situated  in  the  Gulf  of 
Paria  opposite  the  delta  of  the  Orinoco.  We  sailed 
around  to  Port-of-Spain  on  the  northwest  side,  the  capital 
of  Trinidad,  and  one  of  the  finest  cities  in  the  West 
Indies.  It  arouses  the  enthusiasm  of  every  one  who 
visits  it,  on  account  of  its  clean  streets  and  handsome 
buildings.  To  the  east  a  broad  stretch  of  ground  rises 
toward  the  mountains  and  in  this  savanna,  called  Queen's 
Park,  is  one  of  the  finest  Botanic  Gardens  in  the  world. 
Here,  surrounded  by  lawns  and  flower  beds,  is  the 
Governor's  Palace — a  splendid  English  country  residence. 
A  writer  has  said  : — "  Porto  Spain  gives  a  drowsy  sen- 
sation of  warmth  and  vast  light  and  exotic  vegetation, 
coupled  with  some  vague  disappointment  at  the  absence 
of  that  picturesque  humanity  which  delighted  us  in  Mar- 
tinique. The  bright  costumes  of  the  French  colonies  are 
not  visible  here ;  there  is  nothing  like  them  in  any  of  the 
English  Islands.  Nevertheless,  this  wonderful  Trinidad 
is  as  unique  ethnologically  as  it  is  otherwise  remarkable 
among  all  the  other  Antilles.  It  has  three  distinct  Creole 
populations — English,  Spanish  and  French — besides  its 
German  and  Maderian  settlers.  There  is  also  a  special 
black  or  half  breed  element,  corresponding  to  each  Creole 
race  and  speaking  the  language  of  each  ;  and  there  are 
fifty  thousand  Hindoo  coolies  and  a  numerous  body  of 
Chinese.  Still  this  diversity  of  race  elements  does  not 
make  itself  at  once  apparent  to  the  stranger.  Your  first 
impression,  as  you  pass  through  the  black  crowd  upon 
the  wharf,  is  that  of  being  among  a  population  as  nearly 


EMMA  J.   BARTOL  j6/ 

African  as  that  of  Barbados,  and  white  faces  look  strange 
by  contrast." 

Approaching  Trinidad  from  the  north  or  east  one 
would  not  dream  of  its  possibilities.  Next  to  the  Gulf 
on  the  west  and  south  is  a  most  beautiful  panorama  of 
hills,  valleys  and  rivers,  long  and  fertile  plains,  all  clothed 
in  perpetual  verdure.  Of  course  its  greatest  wonder  is  the 
lake  of  boiling  pitch,  which  at  the  present  day  is  furnish- 
ing the  greater  part  of  the  asphalt  which  paves  our  Amer- 
ican cities. 

On  our  northward  journey  we  revisited  many  of  the 
Islands  and  stopped  at  some  new  ones.  Among  these 
was  Tobago,  a  few  miles  from  Trinidad,  of  which  the 
writer  quoted  above  has  said  :  "  As  we  gradually  drew 
near  its  lofty  peaks,  deep,  chasm-like  valleys  covered 
with  forests  became  distinct,  but  not  even  the  glow  of 
the  morning  sun  could  destroy  the  dismal  uninhabited 
look  of  the  Island.  The  gloomy  mountains  and  black 
precipices  descending  abruptly  to  the  sea  have  caused  it 
to  be  called  most  appropriately  'The  Melancholy  Isle.'  " 

Grenada,  the  largest  of  the  small  chain  of  islands 
called  The  Grenadines,  does  not  differ  in  its  general 
characteristics  from  the  others  which  have  been  so  fully 
described.  Notwithstanding  the  intense  heat  we  con- 
cluded to  go  on  shore,  as  we  were  anchored  within  a 
stone's  throw  of  St.  George,  the  capital.  We  visited  the 
Fort  where  we  had  a  splendid  view.  It  proved  to  be 
Shrove  Tuesday  and  the  blacks,  dressed  in  fantastic  cos- 
tumes, with  music  and  dancing  were  parading  the  streets. 
The  town  lies  in  an  amphitheatre  rising  up  from  the  bay. 
The  Island  is  very  mountainous  and  we  decided   that  it 


168  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

was  the  prettiest  we  had  yet  seen.  Following  a  gloomy 
road  which  winds  high  around  a  cliff  overlooking  the  ex- 
panse of  waters,  we  passed  under  extraordinarily  dark 
shadows  of  foliage  and  over  a  blackish  soil  strewn  with 
pretty,  bright,  green  fruit  that  had  fallen.  "  Do  not 
touch  them  even  with  the  tip  of  the  finger  !"  we  were 
warned.  They  were  the  manchenal  apples,  with  whose 
milky  juice  the  old  Caribs  poisoned  the  barbs  of  their 
parrot-feathered  arrows.  Swarming  among  the  poisonous 
fruit,  innumerable  crabs  made  a  sound  almost  like  the 
murmuring  of  water  and  there  was  an  unpleasant  odor  of 
decay  in  the  air. 

As  we  neared  the  most  northern  of  the  island  group 
we  sailed  by  what  appeared  to  be  a  solitary  mountain 
peak  and  were  informed  that  it  was  Saba,  one  of  a  chain 
of  old  volcanic  craters.  This  queer  little  Dutch  Island 
contains  only  fifteen  square  miles  and  is  inaccessible  ex- 
cept on  the  south  side.  A  writer  thus  describes  it  : 
"  Saba  is  a  single  volcanic  cone  rising  sharply  out  of  the 
sea  to  a  height  of  nearly  twenty-eight  hundred  feet. 
The  landing  is  a  rocky  cove  known  as  the  ladder,  con- 
sisting of  steps  cut  in  the  rocks  to  a  height  of  800  feet, 
which  must  be  ascended  in  order  to  reach  the  principal 
settlement  of  Bottom,  located  on  the  floor  of  the  old 
crater.  Everything  must  be  transported  up  to  this 
height  on  the  heads  of  the  people,  one  hundred  pounds 
being  the  ordinary  load.  The  2,500  Dutch  residents 
who  form  the  principal  population  are  fair  skinned,  rosy 
cheeked  and  tow-headed,  and  afford  an  interesting  ex- 
ample of  successful  North  European  colonization  in  the 
tropics.      Strange  to  say  their   principal    occupations  are 


EMMA  J.   BARTOL  i6g 


sea-faring  and  boat  building.  The  best  and  staunchest 
fishing  boats  of  the  Caribbees  are  built  in  this  crater  and 
lowered  down  the  mountain  sides  with  ropes.  The  tim- 
ber for  constructing  the  boats  must  be  drawn  up  in  a 
similar  manner.  Saba  is  also  exceptional  in  that  its  pop- 
ulation is  white,  the  blacks  overwhelmingly  predomi- 
nating in  the  other  Islands." 

Our  last  stop  was  at  Frederickstadt,  on  the  little 
Island  of  Saint  Croix,  where  our  first  one  had  been  made 
at  the  beginning  of  our  long  voyage.  Here  we  took  on 
coal,  and  by  March  22d  we  were  homeward  bound,  after 
having  landed  at  forty  ports.  The  weather  was  hot  but 
fine,  and  the  vessel  tossed  in  a  free  wind  so  that  walking 
was  almost  impossible.  On  the  second  day  out  there 
was  great  excitement  when  a  wreck  was  sighted.  The 
masts  were  snapped  off  and  the  sea  was  making  a  clean 
breach  over  the  hulk.  A  pole  was  erected  on  which  the 
crew  had  set  signals  of  distress  but  nothing  living  was 
now  on  board.  We  sailed  away  with  a  feeling  of  sorrow 
for  the  unknown  sailors  who  had  found  a  grave  in  the 
ocean's  depths. 

The  next  three  days  are  not  among  our  pleasant 
memories.  The  ship  rolled  and  pitched  until  everybody 
was  lame  and  sore  from  the  buffeting.  Finally  an  im- 
mense wave  submerged  the  deck,  flooded  the  staterooms 
and  soaked  our  beds  and  clothing.  We  were  happy  in- 
deed to  sight  New  York  harbor  and  to  bid  farewell  to 
the  Barracouta  after  thirty-nine  days  of  some  disagreeable, 
some  delightful,  but  all  unique  experiences  in  our  cruise 
through  the  Windward  Islands. 


i/o  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

In  1890  I  began  to  long  for  another  trip  to  Europe, 
as  it  had  been  three  years  since  my  last  visit,  and  my 
friend  Miss  Candee  consented  to  accompany  me.  My 
son  George  was  going  abroad  and  so  we  all  sailed  on  the 
Hamburg-American  steamer  "Columbia,"  May  22.  The 
voyage  was  uneventful;  we  arrived  atCuxhaven  on  the  30th 
and  took  the  train  for  Hamburg,  fifty-eight  miles  away. 
This  is  one  of  the  oldest  cities  in  Germany  and  its  chief 
commercial  port.  It  figures  in  history  at  the  beginning 
of  the  ninth  century  but  the  ravages  of  war  and  fire  have 
destroyed  most  of  its  ancient  landmarks.  It  possesses 
great  wealth  and  like  all  European  cities  has  fine  public 
buildings  and  beautiful  parks,  boulevards,  fountains, 
statues,  etc.  It  is  said  to  have  the  most  complete  aqua- 
rium in  the  world.  Friends  of  ours  who  were  residing 
there  gave  us  a  gay  week  of  dinner  parties,  drives  and 
excursions.  I  had  no  plans  beyond  roaming  about 
Europe  and  visiting  some  places  which  I  had  not  seen, 
and  I  did  not  at  this  time  dream  that  our  trip  would  ex- 
tend around  the  world  and  occupy  a  year-and-a-half. 

We  decided  first  to  go  to  Denmark,  Sweden  and 
Norway  ;  and  so  from  Hamburg  we  went  by  rail  to 
Lubeck  on  the  Trave  and  there  we  took  a  small  steamer 
for  Copenhagen,  a  fifteen-hours'  journey.  We  started 
about  5  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  sailing  up  through  the 
Baltic  Sea.  Land  was  sighted  by  daybreak  and  at  8 
o'clock  we  anchored  at  the  docks  of  Copenhagen.  This 
city,  which  is    now  about   800  years    old,   lies    on    both 


EMMA  J.   BARTOL  i7i 


sides  of  a  deep  and  narrow  strait  which  divides  the  large 
Island  of  Zealand,  on  which  it  is  situated,  from  the  tiny- 
Island  of  Amager  and  the  village  of  Dragor.  The  sound 
which  separates  Zealand  from  Sweden  is  in  some  places 
but  three  miles  wide.  This  group  of  islands  and  the 
small  point  of  the  mainland,  about  23,000  square  miles 
altogether,  was  originally  under  the  government  of  the 
Scandinavian  Peninsula.  This  small  country  has  no 
minerals,  no  coal,  no  water  power,  no  forests,  and  one 
questions  how  it  can  support  its  2,000,000  inhabitants. 
Cattle  breeding  and  dairying  are  the  principal  occupations 
of  its  farmers.  In  the  cities  are  sugar  refineries,  tan- 
neries and  some  manufactures,  that  of  porcelain  being  a 
leading  industry. 

Denmark  is  largely  Protestant.  Few  countries  in 
proportion  to  their  size  have  done  so  much  for  education, 
literature  and  art.  Inseparably  connected  with  the  last 
is  Thorvaldsen,  the  sculptor,  a  descendant  of  Iceland 
Kings,  who  was  brought  to  Copenhagen  when  a  child 
and  always  regarded  it  as  his  home.  Although  most  of 
his  life  v/as  spent  in  Italy,  he  returned  when  his  work 
was  finished  and  ended  his  days  here.  His  tomb  is  in 
the  center  of  the  Thorvaldsen  Museum  which  contains 
many  of  his  works. 

The  most  interesting  of  the  ancient  landmarks  is 
the  palace  of  Rosenborg,  begun  in  16 10  by  Christian 
IV,  one  of  the  wisest  and  best  of  kings.  It  is  an  im- 
posing Renaissance  structure  and  contains  a  fine  chrono- 
logical collection  of  the  Danish  monarchs,  showing  the 
progress  of  art  and  culture.  Vor  Fruekirke,  Church  of 
Our  Lady,  contains  many  works  of  art.     There  are  sev- 


i72  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

eral  private  galleries  of  paintings  and  sculpture  and  a 
Royal  Picture  Gallery  containing  many  specimens  of  the 
old  masters,  while  the  Museum  of  Northern  Antiquities 
is  rivalled  only  by  the  one  in  Stockholm  for  its  history 
of  early  civilization.  The  Ethnographical  Museum  is 
also  one  of  the  best  in  Europe,  and  the  Royal  Library 
in  the  University  has  nearly  half-a-million  volumes  and 
is  especially  rich  in  the  literature  of  the  North.  Copen- 
hagen has  sixteen  public  squares  and  market  places,  and 
from  one  of  these  squares  twelve  streets  radiate.  The 
public  buildings  and  private  residences  are  very  hand- 
some and  in  the  environs  are  parks,  groves  and  country 
seats.      No  city  in  Northern  Europe  better  repays  a  visit. 

We  went  for  a  day  to  the  very  old  town  of  Elsinore 
situated  on  the  narrowest  part  of  the  sound  which  con- 
nects the  Cattegat  and  Baltic  Seas.  It  is  here  that  the 
duties  are  collected  on  the  ships  which  pass  through. 
The  town  is  noted  as  the  supposed  scene  of  the  tragedy 
of  Hamlet.  In  the  dining  room  of  the  railway  station 
we  saw  the  Archduke  and  the  Crown  Prince  of  Austria, 
but  there  was  nothing  in  their  appearance  to  distinguish 
them  as  royalty. 

We  took  a  steamer  in  the  evening  and  sailed  up 
the  Cattegat  Sea  to  Gothenburg  on  the  southwest  coast 
of  Sweden,  directly  opposite  the  northern  extremity  of 
Denmark,  arriving  in  time  for  breakfast.  This  place  of 
perhaps  50,000  inhabitants,  has  many  manufactures  and 
monopolizes  almost  the  entire  commerce  of  Sweden  and 
is,  next  to  Stockholm,  its  most  important  city.  It  is  sit- 
uated on  a  fiord,  or  long  narrow  inlet,  into  which  empties 
the  Gotha  River.     One  is  surprised  to  see  in  its  gardens, 


EMM  J  J.   BARTOL  173 


avenues,  squares  and  terrace-roofed  houses,  a  resemblance 
to  Italy  and  to  find  in  this  cold  climate  an  unusually  fine 
botanical  garden.  We  took  a  small  steamer  and  made  a 
unique  trip  through  the  river,  lake  and  canals  which  had 
many  locks. 

A  picturesque  railway  journey  to  the  northwest 
brought  us  to  Stockholm,  the  capital  of  Sweden,  which  is 
said  to  occupy  one  of  the  most  striking  and  remarkable 
situations  in  the  world.  It  really  should  be  approached 
from  the  Baltic  to  obtain  the  most  imposing  view.  It  is 
440  miles  southwest  from  St.  Petersburg  and  330  north- 
east from  Copenhagen  and  lies  between  the  sea  and  Lake 
Maelar.  The  old  part  is  built  on  three  islands  connected 
by  long  bridges  ;  on  the  largest  of  these  islands  stands 
the  Royal  Palace  and  many  of  the  public  buildings.  The 
handsomest  of  the  private  residences  are  built  on  the 
main  land,  which  to  the  north  slopes  upward  from  the 
waters  but  to  the  south  rises  in  high  cliffs.  The  houses 
of  stone  and  brick,  or  stucco  painted  white,  yellow  or  light 
blue,  are  surrounded  by  luxuriant  foliage  and  in  their 
elevated  positions  present  a  most  beautiful  appearance. 
Looking  down  from  above  one  is  reminded  of  Venice, 
but  the  natural  beauty  of  the  Scandinavian  surpasses  that 
of  the  Italian  city. 

Stockholm,  which  was  founded  in  1260,  covers  an 
area  of  about  five  square  miles.  Its  foreign  commerce  is 
large  but  its  manufactures  are  inconsiderable.  The  streets 
in  the  old  part  are  narrow  and  crooked  and  one  finds 
there  many  antique  places  of  interest.  By  far  the  finest 
of  the  public  buildings  is  the  Royal  Palace,  begun  in 
1 697  on  the  site  of  an  ancient  structure.      It  is  an  immense 


174  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

pile  of  granite  and  brick,  towering  above  all  the  other 
buildings  and  finely  proportioned.  Besides  the  apart- 
ments of  the  royal  family  it  contains  a  choice  library  of 
85,000  volumes,  a  good  picture  gallery,  a  large  museum 
of  rare  antiquities  and  a  cabinet  of  50,000  coins  and 
medals,  said  to  be  one  of  the  best  in  Europe.  The 
Cathedral  adjoining,  where  the  rulers  of  Norway  and 
Sweden  are  crowned,  is  of  great  size  and  has  some  note- 
worthy paintings  and  sculpture.  The  most  interesting  of 
the  twenty  churches  is  the  Riddarholm  Kyrka,  which 
contains  the  ashes  of  a  long  line  of  Swedish  monarchs. 
Here  is  the  mausoleum  of  the  great  Gustavus  Adolphus, 
who  died  on  the  battle  field  of  Lutzen,and  it  is  surrounded 
with  relics  of  his  victories  :  flags,  swords,  drums,  etc. 
In  the  chapel  adjoining  is  the  tomb  of  the  celebrated 
Charles  XII  ;  its  walls  are  hung  with  trophies. 

In  the  ancient  Ridderhus,  or  Hall  of  the  Diet,  built 
in  the  time  of  Queen  Christina,  are  hung  the  armorial 
bearings  of  3,000  of  the  families  of  the  Swedish  nobility. 
Jennie  Lind  was  born  in  Stockholm.  She  made  her  de- 
but in  the  Royal  Theatre  and  was  adored  by  the  people. 
A  school  for  gratuitous  education  in  music  was  founded  by 
her.  The  city  has  many  large  educational  and  benevo- 
lent institutions.  Few  cities  have  finer  drives,  promen- 
ades and  parks  ;  the  latter  are  noted  for  their  magnificent 
trees  and  are  surrounded  by  beautiful  villas.  In  Deer 
Park  the  King  has  a  palace  ;  in  the  grounds  is  a  por- 
phyry vase  nine  feet  high  and  twenty-seven  in  circum- 
ference which  cost  150,000.  This  park,  situated  on  a 
rugged  peninsula,  is  thought  by  some  travellers  to  be 
the  handsomest  in   Europe.     The  native  costumes  one 


EMM  J  J.  BARTOL  I?5 

sees  in  Stockholm  are  very  picturesque  and  Swedish 
women  are  celebrated  for  their  beauty.  We  were 
surprised  to  see  in  our  hotel  a  large  aviary  of  tropical 
birds. 

On  the  way  to  Christiana,  which  is  a  little  to  the 
northwest  of  Stockholm,  we  stopped  for  the  night  at 
Carlstadt,  a  lovely  town  on  the  Island  of  Tingvalla,  in 
Lake  Wener.  As  we  sat  at  our  window  looking  out 
over  the  water  we  were  surprised  to  hear  familiar  music 
and  see  a  band  of  the  Salvation  Army  coming  down  the 
street.  It  was  then  ten  o'clock  and  the  heavens  were 
filled  with  a  splendid  glow  from  the  setting  sun. 

Christiana,  the  capital  of  Norway,  is  magnificently 
situated  at  the  head  of  a  great  fiord  which  extends  up 
from  the  Skager  Rack  deep  into  the  southern  end  of  the 
peninsula.  The  harbor  is  frozen  all  the  way  to  the  sea 
for  two  months  in  the  year.  The  city  has  about  30,000 
inhabitants  and  is  the  seat  of  foreign  trade.  It  contains 
a  roval  palace,  university,  cathedral  and  art  gallery  and 
many  good  public  buildings,  while  its  environs  are  espec- 
ially beautiful.  This  is  the  great  arsenal  of  the  kingdom, 
and  the  Castle  of  Aggerhaus,  a  huge  fortress  on  an  emi- 
nence at  the  edge  of  the  town,  was  built  early  in  the 
fourteenth  century  and  has  withstood  numerous  sieges. 
They  were  putting  up  stands  and  triumphal  arches  for 
an  expected  visit  from  the  King  when  we  were  in  Chris- 
tiana. 

The  way  to  Bergen,  on  the  west  coast  of  Norway, 
being  a  roundabout  journey  by  land,  we  made  a  night's 
trip  by  steamer  around  the  lower  end  of  Norway.  We 
were  much  amused  to  find  on  the  breakfast  bill  of  fare 


i76  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

forty-five  different  dishes,  among  which  were  raw  ham, 
raw  salmon,  cold  boiled  eel  and  sixteen  different  kinds  of 
cheese. 

The  old  and  strongly  fortified  city  of  Bergen, 
founded  in  the  eleventh  century,  was  until  the  seventeenth 
the  principal  place  in  Norway,  but  when  Christiana  be- 
came the  seat  of  Government  and  of  the  university  its 
glory  departed.  Its  fisheries  are  now  its  chief  industry 
and  its  foreign  trade  is  principally  with  Northern  Europe. 
It  is  a  well-built  city  rising  from  the  large  harbor  in  the 
form  of  an  amphitheatre  with  a  background  of  mountains 
2,000  feet  high.  This  is  the  starting  point  for  tourists 
who  make  the  trip  through  Norway,  which  is  the  most 
picturesque  in  Europe.  It  would  require  a  far  more 
eloquent  pen  than  mine  and  much  more  space  than  can 
be  given  here  to  describe  this  remarkable  journey,  made 
partly  by  rail,  partly  by  carriage,  and  partly  by  steamer. 
And  indeed  why  should  one  try  to  do  so  when  that  emi- 
nent traveller,  Paul  Du  Chaillu,  has  devoted  two  large 
volumes  of  450  pages  each  to  a  description  of  the  Scan- 
dinavian peninsula  ?      He  says  : 

"  As  one  sails  along  the  Peninsula  of  Scandinavia, 
and  especially  on  the  coast  of  Norway,  he  sees  every- 
where the  deep  narrow  arms  of  the  sea  winding  their 
way,  often  a  hundred  miles,  amidst  the  masses  of  rock 
belonging  to  the  oldest  formations  ;  these  arms  of  the 
sea  are  called  fjords.  Those  of  Norway  are  far  larger 
and  more  majestic  than  those  of  Sweden,  and  partake  of 
the  grandeur  of  the  scenery  characteristic  of  the  country. 
As  you  gaze  in  admiration  aburst  with  awe  at  their  walls, 
towering  thousands  of  feet  above  the  sea,  the  question 
naturally  arises, '  What  are  the  causes  which  have  formed 


EMMA  J.   BARTOL  l77 


these  wonderful  channels  ?'  As  the  sea  has  no  sweep 
adequate  to  produce  them,  the  second  thought  might 
naturally  be  that  some  great  convulsions  of  nature  have 
lead  to  their  formation  ;  but  neither  the  sea  nor  geologi- 
cal catastrophes  have  been  active  agents  in  this  case 

Everything  shows  that  the  fjords,  like  the  valleys,  have 
been  scooped  out  of  the  solid  rock  by  the  action  of  the 
glaciers.  Looking  at  the  immense  height  of  these  walls 
and  adding  the  great  depth,  which  is  often  equal  to  the 
height  of  the  mountains,  we  cannot  comprehend  the  vast 
periods  of  time  that  must  have  been  required  by  the 
glaciers  to  do  this  work,  on  their  slow  but  irresistible 
march  to  the  sea,  and  we  get  an  idea  which  nothing  else 
can  give  us  of  the  tremendous  power  of  water  in  the  form 
of  ice  in  modifying  the  surface  character  of  the  globe." 

One  may  make  the  long  journey  to  the  North  Cape 
and  see  the  Midnight  Sun  in  all  its  glory,  or  he  may  take 
the  shorter  trips  through  the  Fiords  of  Hardanger,  Sogne 
and  Nord  as  far  as  Molde,  which  is  the  one  followed  by 
the  vast  majority  of  travellers  in  Norway.  Of  the  last 
named  Du  Chaillu  says:  "In  a  distance  of  less  than  one 
English  mile  I  counted  on  both  sides  of  the  valley  seventy- 
three  waterfalls,  none  of  which  was  less  than  1,000  feet, 
while  some  plunged  down  2,000  feet."  The  Sogne  varies 
in  width  from  two  to  four  miles,  in  places  it  reaches  a 
depth  of  3,766  feet,  and  it  winds  between  great  precipices 
for  eighty-four  miles.  Along  the  Hardanger  Fiord  the 
scenery  loses  its  weird  grandeur,  the  snowy  tops  of  the 
mountains  glitter  in  the  sun;  still  nearer  are  snow  fields  and 
glaciers  on  a  vast  plateau;  while  rising  from  the  shores  of 
the  fiord  are  sloping  hills  covered  with  trees  and  between 
them  comfortable  looking   farms   and   pleasant   hamlets. 


j?8  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

There  is  constant  variety  everywhere,  and,  be  the  journey 
short  or  long,  the  traveller  will  be  repaid  a  hundred-fold 
for  making  it. 


EMM  J  J.   BARTOL  179 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

On  the  Fourth  of  July  (1890)  we  left  Bergen  in  the 
steamer  "Berlin"  for  Rotterdam.  At  Stavanger,  where 
we  had  our  last  glimpse  of  Norway,  we  saw  the  great 
German  war-ships  gather  in  advance  of  a  visit  which  was 
to  be  made  by  the  German  Emperor,  and  all  the  ships  in 
the  harbor  were  gay  with  flags.  A  sail  through  the  North 
Sea  brought  us  to  Rotterdam  on  the  7th,  and  after  a  day's 
rest  we  went  to  the  Hague  and  then  to  Holland's  pop- 
ular seaside  resort,  Scheveningen,  where  royalty  and  com- 
moner go  for  a  plunge  into  the  North  Sea,  which  is  by 
no  means  so  inviting  as  the  old  Atlantic.  These  places 
and  Amsterdam  have  become  very  familiar  to  the  Ameri- 
can traveller,  who  finds  no  part  of  Europe  more  fascin- 
ating than  this  quaint  and  pretty  little  Holland.  The 
longer  one  remains  among  its  sturdy  and  industrious 
people  the  more  he  respects  them.  To  see  the  real  Dutch 
life  one  should  visit  the  small  interior  towns,  but  for  this 
the  rushing  tourist  seldom  has  time.  One  finds  more  of 
the  interest  which  is  connected  with  antiquity  in  Amster- 
dam than  in  the  Hague,  while  in  the  art  galleries  of  both 
cities  may  be  seen  some  of  the  masterpieces  of  the  world. 
We  greatly  enjoyed  a  day  at  Edam,  where  the  famous 
cheese  is  made.  It  is  the  quietest  village  one  ever  saw 
and  the  paved  streets  are  as  clean  as  the  floors  of  the 
houses.  It  requires  about  twenty-five  gallons  of  milk  to 
make  four  cheeses  and  eight  is  the  result  of  a  day's  work. 


180  RECOLLECTIONS   OF  A  TRAVELLER 

There  is  no  general  factory  but  the  cheese  is  made  in 
individual  families  and  brought  to  a  central  shipping 
point,  where  the  long  rows  of  red  spheres  present  an  ap- 
petizing sight. 

An  interesting  day  was  spent  in  the  fine  old  city  of 
Utrecht,  and  then  we  went  to  Berlin.  Here  we  were 
very  glad  to  have  a  look  into  our  trunks,  which  we  had 
not  seen  for  over  six  weeks.  The  traveller  makes  a 
mistake  who  goes  to  Europe  and  fails  to  visit  the  mag- 
nificent city  of  Berlin,  to  have  a  drive  in  its  renowned 
Thiergarten,  a  promenade  "unter  den  Linden,"  an  eve- 
ning at  the  famous  zoological  garden,  a  visit  to  its  art 
galleries  and  museums,  and  a  glimpse  of  its  stately  homes, 
its  fountains,  monuments  and  statues.  Where  can  one 
spend  a  more  delightful  day  than  at  Potsdam,  the  gar- 
rison city,  wandering  about  the  lovely  grounds  of  "  Sans 
Souci" — the  palace  built  by  Frederick  the  Great  in  which 
to  escape  the  cares  of  state — and  resting  for  awhile  at  the 
Orangery  ?  Here  also  is  the  splendid  "  new  palace," 
the  country  residence  of  the  present  Emperor,  and  far- 
ther on  is  the  petite  Marmor  Palais,  where  the  crown 
princes  take  their  brides  and  make  their  home.  In  the 
town  itself  is  the  "  garrison  church,"  where  in  their  plain 
iron  coffins  rest  the  ashes  of  Frederick  the  Great  and  his 
father,  Frederick  William  I.  No  one,  of  course,  will  fail 
to  see  the  Mausoleum  at  Charlottenburg,  which  contains 
the  tomb  of  Queen  Louise,  whose  recumbent  statue  is 
the  most  beautiful  example  of  modern  sculpture. 

While  in  Berlin  we  visited  the  palace  of  William  I, 
which  is  just  as  he  left  it,  and  stood  at  the  window  where 
he  used  to  stand  and  watch  his   troops   in   review.     We 


EMMA   J.  BARTOL  181 


also  saw  the  present  Emperor  and  Empress  review  a 
parade  of  50,000  soldiers.  The  Empress  rode  in  a 
barouche  drawn  by  six  horses  and  was  accompanied  by 
her  own  guard  in  handsome  white  uniforms.  I  particu- 
larly enjoyed  a  visit  to  the  Royal  Infirmary,  with  1,800 
beds,  and  I  noticed  especially  the  big  white  porcelain 
stove  in  the  middle  of  each  ward  with  an  open  fire  on 
two  sides,  which  seemed  to  create  a  current  and  purify 
the  air. 

A  week  in  Dresden  is  all  too  short  for  the  beauties 
of  that  old  city,  the  cradle  of  art,  whose  treasures  have 
been  steadily  increased  for  the  past  seven  or  eight  hundred 
years.  If  but  two  art  galleries  in  Europe  could  be 
visited,  the  Zwinger  of  Dresden  should  be  one  and  that 
of  Florence  would,  of  course,  be  the  other.  The  palace, 
occupied  by  the  King  of  Saxony,  is  of  no  especial  interest, 
but  that  part  of  it,  known  as  the  Green  Vault,  contains 
the  most  valuable  collection  of  jewels  and  small  works  of 
art  in  the  world,  among  them  the  "  crown  jewels,"  which 
are  beyond  description.  The  visitor  will  be  sure  to  have 
tea  and  hear  a  concert  on  Bruhl  Terrace,  laid  out  in 
1738,  an  exquisite  garden  half  a  mile  in  length,  over- 
looking the  River  Elbe  ;  and  if  she  is  a  lover  of  fine 
china,  she  will  visit  Meissen,  fourteen  miles  away,  and 
see  the  manufacture  of  the  famous  Dresden  china. 
While  there  one  is  well  repaid  for  a  visit  to  the  ancient 
castle  and  cathedral  of  Albrechtsburg,  built  in  1471. 

Carlsbad  is  always  interesting,  although  it  has  lost 
the  prestige  it  so  long  maintained,  of  being  the  most 
aristocratic  watering  place  in  Europe.  The  thousands  of 
people  who  annually  crowd  its  hotels  have  robbed  it  of 


i82  RECOLLECTIONS   OF  A  TRAVELLER 

all  exclusiveness,  but    tortunatelv    the    healing   power  of 
its  waters  has  been  in  no  wise  diminished. 

Prague  is  generally  neglected  by  travellers  and  yet 
it  is  a  place  of  surpassing  interest — all  the  more  so,  per- 
haps, because  it  has  been  changed  so  little  by  modern  in- 
novations. Its  numerous  domes,  spires  and  turrets  give 
it  an  almost  oriental  aspect.  It  is  the  capital  ot  Bohemia 
and  surrounded  by  twelve  miles  of  fortifications.  The 
Moldau,  which  flows  through  the  city,  is  crossed  by  a 
splendid  stone  bridge  1,855  teet  in  length,  ornamented 
with  groups  of  statuary  and  large  towers  at  each  end.  It 
was  built  in  the  fifteenth  century.  Just  a  few  days  after 
our  departure  the  three  central  arches  fell  with  a  tremen- 
dous crash  into  the  river,  which  was  swollen  by  a  great 
freshet.  The  city  has  many  splendid  buildings,  univer- 
sitv,  cathedral,  observatorv,  libraries,  etc. 

From  Prague  to  Vienna  is  a  short  journey  of  possi- 
blv  eight  hours.  Thev  are  not  wrong  who  insist  that  the 
Austrian  capital,  which  is  mentioned  in  historv  as  a  Roman 
camp  in  the  first  centurv,  is  now  the  most  beautitul  city 
in  Europe.  In  consists  of  the  town  proper,  or  Innere- 
Stadt,  and  more  than  thirty  suburbs.  This  Innere-Stadt 
is  surrounded  bv  ramparts  from  thirtv  to  fifty  feet  high 
and  is  further  separated  trom  the  suburbs  bv  the  river,  but 
to  a  still  greater  extent  by  an  esplanade  about  600  yards 
wide.  It  is  entered  by  twelve  gates,  is  well-paved  and 
scrupulously  clean  and  has  twenty  squares  beautifully 
ornamented.  This  part  of  the  city  contains  the  court 
and  is  the  fashionable  center.  The  air  of  Vienna  is  un- 
usually pure  and  salubrious  and,  although  many  of  the 
houses  are  built    to    accommodate    a    large    number    of 


EMMA  J.   BARTOL  183 

people,  some  of  them  being  tenanted  by  several  hundred 
persons,  it  is  one  of  the  healthiest  cities  in  Europe.  The 
Prater,  which  is  two  miles  broad  and  extends  for  several 
miles  between  two  arms  of  the  Danube,  is  conceded  to 
be  the  finest  park,  in  Europe. 

A  chapter  might  be  written  on  the  churches  of 
Vienna,  beginning  with  the  Cathedral  of  St.  Stephen, 
with  its  tower  465  feet  high,  containing  the  great  bell 
weighing  eighteen  tons,  cast  out  of  cannon  taken  from 
the  Turks  in  171 1.  It  has  thirty-eight  marble  altars 
and  many  gorgeous  monuments.  We  visited  the  Augus- 
tinian  church  where  the  hearts  of  the  royal  family  are 
buried.  There  are  half-a-dozen  enormous  palaces,  and 
the  ParJiament  and  public  buildings  are  superb.  The 
university  is  attended  by  about  6,000  students,  and  there 
is  an  almost  endless  number  of  other  large  and  well- 
equipped  educational  institutions.  The  Imperial  Library 
forms  one  entire  side  of  the  large  square  adjoining  the 
Emperor's  palace,  and  there  are  no  less  than  a  million 
volumes  in  the  various  libraries.  The  picture  galleries 
and  museums  are  of  a  high  order,  and  as  for  the  stores 
and  shops,  they  are  not  excelled,  if,  indeed,  equalled  in 
any  city  on  the  globe. 

We  visited  all  these  interesting  places,  also  the  pal- 
aces of  Maria  Theresa,  Marie  Antoinette,  Princess 
Stephanie  and  other  royal  personages.  We  went  to  the 
Imperial  Picture  Gallery  in  the  Upper  Belvedere,  and 
one  day  we  dropped  into  the  Royal  Riding  School  and 
saw  them  teaching  Spanish  horses  to  pace,  and  also  ex- 
amined the  State  carriages,  etc.  One  evening  we  saw 
"  Romeo  and  Juliet  '     in  the  grand   opera  house.     Al- 


184  RECOLLECTIONS   OF  A  TRAVELLER 

though  every  moment  of  time  was  utilized,  we  left  Vienna 
feeling  that  we  had  only  touched  the  fringe  of  its  attrac- 
tive features. 

On  our  way  to  Munich  we  stopped  at  the  ancient  town 
of  Salzburg  in  Western  Austria,  the  birthplace  of  Mozart. 
It  is  situated  on  the  Salza  River  in  a  narrow  pass  among 
towering  mountains,  and  the  scenery  is  almost  if  not  quite 
equal  to  any  in  Switzerland.  Many  of  the  houses  are 
built  of  marble  but  the  streets  are  so  narrow  and  crooked 
that  the  general  appearance  is  gloomy.  There  are  some 
fine  squares  adorned  with  noble  statues,  a  massive  cath- 
edral and  a  large  old  archbishop's  palace.  Adjoining  the 
church  of  St.  Peter  is  a  cemetery  noted  for  its  curious 
tombs  of  great  antiquity.  The  town  is  walled  in  and  en- 
tered by  ten  gates.  On  a  very  high  eminence  is  a  mag- 
nificent castle  now  used  as  a  fortress,  and  in  one  of  its 
towers  is  a  torture  chamber  containing  the  instruments 
used  during  the  time  when  30,000  Protestants  were  driven 
from  the  country.  This  is  now  a  peaceful  town  cultivating 
the  arts  and  industries.  We  spent  a  day  at  Berchtesgaden, 
twelve  miles  away,  where  the  royal  salt  mines  are  situated, 
which  produce  annually  about  16,000  hundred  weight  of 
rock  salt. 

We  did  not  tarry  long  at  the  big  and  comparatively 
modern  city  of  Munich,  as  it  was  crowded  with  visitors 
on  the  way  to  Oberammergau,  which  was  also  our 
destination.  Probably  all  tourists  who  have  only  one 
evening  in  Munich  spend  that  at  the  Hof  Braueri,  the 
Royal  Brewery.  Its  celebrated  beer  is  all  brewed  on  the 
spot  and  is  said  to  have  a  different  taste  from  any  other 
brand  of  this  beverage.      Hundreds  of  people  are  found 


EMMA  J.   BARTOL  185 

in  the  terraced  garden  every  evening,  listening  to  the  ex- 
cellent music  and  drinking  from  the  huge  stone  schooners. 
We  were  told  that  many  Germans  drink  five  or  six 
gallons  of  this  beer  daily. 

It  is  a  pleasant  journey  in  summer  up  into  the 
romantic  country  of  mountains  and  lakes  where  the 
Passion  Play  is  performed  once  every  ten  years.  We 
arrived  Sept.  5  and  found  the  little  valley  cold  and 
the  snow  glistening  on  all  the  mountains  roundabout. 
We  visited  the  beautiful  palace  of  the  King  of  Bavaria, 
where  we  saw  a  fountain  playing  to  the  height  of  1 50 
feet  and  a  linden  tree  400  years  old,  under  which,  we 
were  told,  his  majesty  often  had  breakfast  served.  In 
the  morning  we  heard  the  guns  firing  and  the  bands 
playing  and  the  little  town  was  full  of  excitemeut.  We 
hurried  through  breakfast,  as  the  play  began  at  eight,  and 
had  to  hasten  through  luncheon,  as  it  began  again  at  a 
quarter  past  one  and  lasted  until  nearly  six.  It  was 
given,  of  course,  out  of  doors  with  only  a  canopy  over 
head.  The  village  has  1,300  inhabitants  and  over  half 
of  them  take  part  in  the  performance.  The  larger  por- 
tion of  the  receipts,  which  this  year  were  about  $165,000, 
are  used  for  municipal  purposes.  The  principal  actors 
have  also  the  principal  part  in  the  government  of  the 
village,  or  commune,  and  it  is  a  noteworthy  fact  that 
they  never  abuse  their  power  to  enrich  themselves  at  the 
sacrifice  of  public  interests.  It  is  unnecessary  to  go  into 
a  detailed  account  of  this  world-renowned  Passion  Play, 
as  it  has  been  so  often  and  so  well  described,  but  it  may 
be  said  that  one  who  hears  it  is  most  likely   to  alter  his 


i86  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

views   on    many  points    concerning   the    Jews    and    the 
Crucifixion. 

It  was  a  glorious  day  when  we  departed,  the  view  of 
the  Alps  was  superb  and  the  fragrance  of  new  mown  hay 
rose  up  from  the  valleys.  We  stopped  at  a  number  of 
picturesque  villages  nestled  among  the  mountains  and 
tarried  for  a  while  at  Ernst,  in  the  Tyrol  about  thirty 
miles  west  of  Innsbruck.  The  scenery  was  so  beautiful 
I  scarcely  knew  where  to  begin  sketching  first — the 
church,  the  little  chapels,  the  foaming  river,  all  challenged 
the  artist's  skill.  As  I  sat  sketching  and  painting,  the 
school  children  would  crowd  about  me  and  express  their 
delight,  especially  at  the  water  colors.  The  fields  were 
full  of  ripe  Indian  corn  and  we  joyfully  gathered  the 
ears  and  superintended  their  cooking  for  our  dinner. 

We  soon  went  on  to  Innsbruck,  the  capital  of  the 
Tyrol,  lying  in  the  basin  of  the  river  Inn  and  almost 
entirely  surrounded  by  mountains  from  6,000  to  10,000 
feet  high.  The  central  point  of  attraction  for  the  tourist 
is  the  Hofkirche,  church  of  the  Franciscans,  containing 
the  tomb  of  Maximilian  1,  one  of  the  most  splendid 
monuments  in  Europe.  Hours  might  be  interestingly 
spent  in  a  study  of  its  twenty-four  marble  bas  reliefs, 
which  are  among  the  finest  specimens  of  artistic  skill. 
There  is  nothing  in  existence  like  the  twenty-four  heroic 
bronze  statues  of  the  male  and  female  members  of  the 
house  of  Austria  grouped  about,  every  one  a  monument 
to  the  artist  who  made  it.  The  church  has  also  many 
other  striking  monuments  and  the  traveller  experiences 
a  feeling  of  surprise  at  finding  this  gem   in   the   heart  of 


«v 


TVRUL 


EMMA  J.  BARTOL  187 

the   mountains.      The    Imperial   Palace   surrounded  by 
handsome  gardens,  is  also  well  worthy  of  a  visit. 

We  went  by  carriage  over  the  Alps  to  Bozen,  and 
then  down  into  Italy  to  fascinating  Verona,  which  has 
been  so  many  times  immortalized  by  the  writers  of  all 
ages.  From  here  we  made  many  short  trips  to  the 
lovely  villages  which  cluster  about  this  old,  historic  center, 
and  finally  we  found  ourselves  in  Venice.  I  have  already 
given  my  impressions  of  this  place  so  fully  it  is  not 
necessary  to  repeat  them.  It  was  now  growing  late  in 
the  autumn  and  we  had  decided  to  extend  our  journey 
indefinitely,  so  at  sunrise,  on  Oct.  24,  we  departed  with 
a  courier  on  the  steamship  "  Cathay,"  having  Egypt  as 
our  ultimate  destination. 


188  RECOLLECTIONS   OF  A  TRAVELLER 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

As  we  sailed  down  the  Adriatic  Sea  we  found  the 
weather  very  cold  and  finally  ran  into  a  storm  of  hail 
and  snow.  It  was  so  inclement  we  could  not  land  at 
Ancona  but  had  to  be  satisfied  with  a  view,  from  the 
steamer,  of  this  attractive  town,  rising  up  like  an  amphi- 
theatre, with  its  handsome  palaces  over-looking  the  sea. 
On  a  towering  height  stood  a  fine  cathedral  with  columns 
taken  from  the  Temple  of  Venus.  There  is  a  colossal 
statue  of  Cavour,  a  triumphal  arch  erected  by  the  Roman 
Senate  1 12  A.  D.,  and  another  in  honor  of  Pope  Clement 
XII — a  strange  mingling  of  the  past  and  present. 

At  Brindisi  we  stopped,  and  found  here  a  hotel 
whose  sole  claim  to  distinction  was  that  it  had  sheltered 
royalty.  Virgil  died  in  this  old  town  nineteen  years  be- 
fore Christ.  It  is  in  the  "heel  of  the  boot,"  and  during 
the  great  days  of  the  Roman  Empire  it  marked  the  end 
of  the  Appian  Way  and  was  the  chief  point  of  departure 
for  Egypt  and  the  East  Indies.  It  is  now  on  the  mail 
route  from  England  to  India  and  many  steamers  touch 
at  its  port. 

From  Brindisi  to  Corfu,  one  of  the  Ionian  Islands 
belonging  to  Greece,  is  but  a  brief  journey  and  here  we 
stopped  for  a  few  days.  This  hilly  and  picturesque 
island  is  forty  miles  long  and  from  two  to  eighteen  miles 
wide,  separated  from  the  west  coast  of  Greece  by  a  nar- 
row channel.  The  capital,  Corfu,  the  only  town  of  any 
size,  is  beautifully  situated  on  a  well-fortified  eminence. 
It  has  a  cathedral  and  some  richly-decorated  Greek   and 


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EMM  J  J.  BARTOL  i8p 

Roman  Catholic  churches,  a  House  of  Legislature,  uni- 
versity and  other  public  buildings,  residences  of  the 
archbishop,  the  lord  high  commissioner,  etc.  Nowhere 
better  than  at  Corfu  does  one  get  the  glorious  rose-col- 
ored effects  of  sunrise  and  sunset  on  the  Mediterranean. 
We  visited  the  fortress,  the  royal  chateau  and  gardens  of 
the  Empress  of  Austria,  and  I  had  my  artist's  materials 
constantly  in  hand  to  catch  the  wonderful  effects  in  light 
and  shadow. 

After  ten  restful  days  we  set  sail  for  Athens.  At 
Patras  our  trunks  were  examined  and  some  fine  pears  I 
had  were  pitched  into  the  sea,  as  it  seems  that  fruit  is 
especially  "  forbidden"  lest  some  destructive  insect  should 
be  introduced.  In  the  station  at  Athens  all  was  in  gala 
array  for  the  arrival  of  the  Russian  Prince,  and  we  saw 
the  King  and  Queen  and  many  grandees  who  had  come 
to  the  station  to  meet  him  and  a  great  array  of  splendid 
equipages  !  On  Sunday  we  went  to  the  Russian  church 
and  there  saw  again  the  King  and  Queen  with  their  dis- 
tinguished guest. 

For  ages  the  centre  of  civilization,  Athens  is  still 
one  of  the  most  interesting  cities  in  the  world  to  the 
artist  and  scholar.  Its  interest  of  course  is  in  its  past, 
for  as  a  modern  city  it  has  no  striking  features.  The 
palace,  cathedral  and  university  are  the  handsomest  of  its 
buildings,  and  as  the  residence  of  the  King,  the  arch- 
bishop and  the  head  of  the  university,  it  remains  the 
chief  city  of  Greece.  Athens  was  known  in  history  more 
than  a  thousand  years  before  Christ,  and  it  was  Pericles 
who  "  found  it  brick  and  left  it  marble  "  in  the  fifth  cen- 
tury B.  C.     The  location  is  superb  ;  a  large  plain  four 


igo  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

miles  from  the  gulf,  surrounded  on  three  sides  by  moun- 
tains and  diversified  by  numerous  hills  or  ridges  of  lime- 
stone. On  the  highest  of  these,  1,100  feet  above  the 
sea,  is  the  world-famed  Acropolis,  or  Citadel,  its  walls 
extending  around  the  edges  of  the  precipitous  rock  in  a 
circuit  of  7,000  feet.  Within,  are  the  finest  monuments 
of  art  in  existence,  the  remains  of  their  statues  and  col- 
umns in  purest  white  marble  affording  still  unsurpassed 
models  for  the  sculptor.  Here  are  the  Parthenon,  the 
Temple  of  Erechtheium  with  its  splendid  Caryatides,  the 
Temple  of  the  Wingless  Victory,  the  ancient  theatre,  the 
Propylaea,  or  grand  entrance  gates.  Near  by  is  Mars' 
Hill,  where  St.  Paul  addressed  the  Athenians,  the  Tem- 
ple of  Theseus  in  almost  perfect  preservation,  and  else- 
where the  Arch  of  Hadrian  and  vestiges  of  the  Temple 
of  Bacchus,  the  grotto  of  Apollo  and  Pan  and  many 
other  artistic  splendors  of  what  we  call  the  "  pagan"  era. 

The  view  across  the  great  plain,  through  which  flow 
two  lovely  rivers,  is  magnificent.  One  of  the  enjoyable 
experiences  here  is  a  twelve-mile  drive  over  a  fine  car- 
riage road  through  a  wilderness  of  oleanders  to  the 
remains  of  Eleusis,  once  the  second  city  of  Attica.  All 
around  it  the  plain  is  strewed  with  ruins.  Another  in- 
teresting drive  is  to  the  famous  harbor  of  Piraeus  through 
limitless  vineyards  and  groves  of  figs  and  olives.  The 
native  costumes  with  the  gay  colors,  full  white  shirt,  em- 
broidered vest,  red  fez,  etc.,  blend  perfectly  with  the 
charming  scenery. 

We  took  the  steamer  for  Constantinople  in  a  heavy 
storm  which  continued  during  two  days,  and  the  memory 
of  that  trip  is  not  a  pleasant  one.     We  were  glad  indeed 


EMMA  J.   BARTOL  ipi 

to  pass  in  safety  through  the  rapid  current  of  the 
Dardanelles  and  anchor  for  the  night  in  the  Sea  of  Mar- 
mora. The  next  morning  we  saw  the  sun  rise  in  splendor 
over  Constantinople.  We  were  soon  taken  on  shore  in 
small  boats  and  our  passports  properly  certified  by  the 
consul  of  the  United  States.  Our  baggage  was  examined 
and  carried  on  the  backs  of  the  dragomen  to  the  Golden 
Horn  Hotel. 

Of  Constantinople  a  writer  has  said  :  "  Among  the 
novelties  which  strike  a  foreigner  on  arrival  nothing  sur- 
prises him  more  than  the  silence  that  pervades  the  capital. 
By  day  there  are  only  the  cries  of  sellers  of  bread,  fruits, 
sweet-meats  and  sherbet,  and  the  barking  of  dogs — lazy, 
ugly  creatures  of  a  reddish-brown  color,  with  muzzles  like 
that  of  a  fox,  short  ears  and  a  famished  look.  They  lie  on 
the  sidewalk  and  stir  only  when  roused  by  blows.  I  was 
told  there  was  a  fine  for  striking  them.  By  ten  at  night 
everything  is  hushed  except  these  innumerable  dogs, 
which  at  intervals  send  forth  such  howlings  that  it  requires 
practice  to  be  able  to  sleep.  The  dogs  are  the  only  scav- 
engers and  are  therefore  protected  by  law." 

Constantinople,  with  its  more  than  a  million  inhab- 
itants, is  the  fourth  city  of  Europe  in  size.  It  was  founded 
656  B.  C,  and  called  Byzantium.  Some  of  the  walls 
built  fifteen  centuries  ago  are  still  in  existence.  The  sea 
literally  washes  the  feet  of  the  town,  so  close  does  it  come. 
The  city  looks  very  beautiful  approached  from  the  sea, 
with  its  wilderness  of  domes  and  minarets  against  a  dark 
background  of  cypresses  ;  but  all  romance  fades  when 
one  enters  its  labyrinth  of  crooked,  steep  and  dirty  streets 
and  sees  the  dead  walls  of  the  wooden  houses,  which  face 


i92  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

an  inner  court.  The  triangular  Seraglio,  built  by 
Mohammed  II,  is  the  principal  point  of  interest.  It  is 
three  miles  in  circumference  and  shut  in  by  massive  walls 
and  towers,  while  within  it  is  like  a  little  city,  with  apart- 
ments, baths,  mosques,  gardens  and  groves.  Anybody 
may  enter  through  the  great  gate-way  into  the  outside 
court,  but  few  are  privileged  to  penetrate  the  inner  one 
where  reside  the  numerous  wives  of  the  Sultan.  A  chap- 
ter might  be  given  to  the  gorgeous  mosques,  the  unique 
bazars  and  the  beautiful  cemeteries,  but  a  few  pages 
transferred  literally  from  my  diary  will  give  an  idea  of 
the  jumble  to  which  sight  seeing  is  reduced  when  one  has 
only  a  week  for  this  interesting  place.  "  Rode  round 
the  city,  saw  St.  Sophia  Mosque — always  odorous  with 
the  scent  of  musk,  the  Sultan's  Palace,  the  wedding  of  a 
rich  Armenian,  the  Brazen  Serpent  consisting  of  three 
serpents  twisted  together,  the  fountains  which  ornament 
almost  every  square."  "  Day  lovely  ;  went  to  the  Stam- 
boul  fire  tower,  180  steps  to  the  top,  from  which  there  is 
a  fine  view.  Saw  attar  of  roses  made  by  the  monks  and 
myriads  of  pigeons  at  the  Pigeon  Mosque.  Spent  some 
time  in  the  tempting  bazars."  "  Visited  the  harem  of  a 
pacha  who  had  fourteen  wives  and  saw  three  of  them. 
The  first  wife  was  a  princess,  sister  of  the  Sultan.  "  Rain- 
ing, but  we  went  to  see  two  of  the  Sultan's  palaces,  one 
of  them  especially  magnificent  in  size  and  decorations, 
ornaments  of  cut  glass  prisms  in  corners  of  the  salons 
and  especially  beautiful  candelabra.  We  had  coffee  out 
of  gold  cups  set  with  diamonds  and  paid  the  most  ex- 
tortionate backsheesh  for  the  privilege." 

On  Thanksgiving  Day  I   cabled   home   a  greeting, 
and  then  we  crossed  the  narrow  channel  of  the  Bosphorus 


EMMA  J.   BARTOL  193 

to  Scutari,  in  Asia  Minor,  to  see  the  "  college  of  the 
howling  dervishes,"  where  even  little  boys  five  years  old 
can  spin  like  a  top.  The  city,  with  a  population  of  pos- 
sibly 50,000,  resembles  Constantinople  in  its  architecture. 
It  is  built  on  several  hills,  contains  a  palace  and  exten- 
sive grounds  belonging  to  the  Sultan,  fine  cemeteries, 
handsome  bazars  and  many  manufactures  and  warehouses. 
This  is  the  great  centre  for  the  caravans  which  come 
from  Asia  to  Constantinople  with  their  merchandise. 
Near  by  is  a  vast  plain  used  for  military  purposes.  This 
and  a  few  days  later  at  Smyrna,  were  the  first  time  I  ever 
set  foot  on  Asiatic  soil,  and  it  enabled  me  often  to  say 
laughingly  that  I  had  sojourned  on  every  continent. 

One  day  we  thought  we  would  try  a  genuine  Turk- 
ish bath.  We  found  there  about  fifty  women  and  chil- 
dren splashing  in  a  big  pool  or  running  about  in  a  nude 
condition.  Slovenly  attendants  scrubbed  us  as  we  sat  on 
steps  leading  into  the  tubs,  and  everything  was  so  dirty 
and  old  that  we  did  not  repeat  the  experiment,  but  de- 
cided to  wait  for  Turkish  baths  till  we  were  out  of 
Turkey. 

On  the  last  day  of  our  stay  we  saw  the  Sultan  go  to 
his  mosque.  He  had  an  escort  of  5,000  troops  and  was 
accompanied  by  his  wives  in  three  carriages  drawn  by 
beautiful  horses,  but  the  ladies  of  the  harem  were  not 
allowed  to  enter  the  holy  church. 

Constantinople  looked  very  picturesque,  illumined 
by  the  setting  sun,  as  we  sailed  away  on  the  first  day  of 
December.  The  steamship  "  Russia "  was  clean  and 
comfortable,  and  we  found  in  the  dining  room  one  table 
filled  with  English  speaking  people.     On  the  second  day 


IQ4  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A    TRAVELLER 

the  ship  anchored  at  Smyrna  in  a  fine  harbor  and  we  went 
on  shore.  Here  we  saw  for  the  first  time  long  rows  of 
camels  laden  with  Oriental  merchandise.  We  climbed 
up  Mount  Pagus,  crowned  by  an  ancient  citadel,  and 
looked  down  on  this  place  of  several  hundred  thousand 
people — Turks,  Greeks,  Jews,  Armenians,  Franks — each 
nationality  occupying  a  different  part  of  this  wretchedly 
built,  unsanitary  city,  while  about  3,000  soldiers  are  added 
to  this  mixed  population.  There  are  large  cemeteries  on 
the  sides  of  the  mountain,  and  also  the  remains  of  an 
ancient  city  of  the  early  Christian  period,  mentioned  in 
the  Scriptures.  Smyrna  has  been  for  centuries  the  great 
shipping  point  for  the  products  of  the  Levant. 

We  touched  historic  Chios  in  the  night,  and  saw  the 
Isle  of  Rhodes  on  the  morning  of  the  fifth  day.  During 
all  of  the  sixth  day  there  was  no  land  visible.  The  voy- 
age was  delightful,  the  sea  calm,  the  weather  warm,  the 
passengers  reading,  sewing,  singing,  playing  games  and 
amusing  themselves  in  various  ways.  At  8  o'oclock  in 
the  morning  on  the  seventh  day  of  our  voyage  we  rode 
safely  into  the  great  port  of  Alexandria. 


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EMMA  J.  BARTOL  ips 


CHAPTER  XX. 

We  did  not  tarry  in  Alexandria,  whose  ancient  glory 
long  since  departed  and  left  it  to  be  valued  by  the  modern 
world  only  as  the  great  emporium  of  Egypt,  a  place  of 
exports  and  imports.  It  is  a  most  important  station  on 
the  highway  between  the  western  world  and  India,  and  the 
flags  of  all  nations  are  seen  in  its  ports.  We  went  by  rail 
to  Cairo,  112  miles  away,  where  we  remained  for  several 
days  before  starting  on  the  voyage  up  the  Nile.  There 
in  no  place  in  the  world  just  like  Cairo.  Fifteen  years 
ago  the  tide  of  travel  did  not  flow  upon  its  shores  as  it 
does  to-day  and  its  peculiar  features  contained  much  novel- 
ty which  now  has  become  familiar  to  the  reader  and  the 
tourist.  Most  of  the  nationalities  of  the  world  are  found 
among  its  several  hundred  thousand  inhabitants  and  the 
ancient  and  modern  are  combined  in  startling  contrasts. 
It  seldom  rains  here  but  heavy  dews  moisten  the  atmos- 
phere and  the  overflow  of  the  Nile  redeems  what  would 
be  otherwise  a  desert.  Cairo  is  surrounded  with  antique 
battlement  walls  and  towers,  and  from  the  Citadel,  situ- 
ated on  the  highest  point,  is  a  magnificent  panorama, 
which  has  been  thus  described:  "To  the  east  are  seen  the 
obelisk  of  Heliopolis  and  the  tombs  of  the  Mamelukes; 
to  the  south  the  lofty  quarries  of  Mt.  Mokattem,  with 
ruined  castles,  moldering  domes  and  the  remains  of  other 
edifices ;  southwest  and  west  are  the  grand  aqueduct, 
mosques  and  minarets,  the  Nile,  the  ruins  of  Old  Cairo  and 
the  islands  and  groves  of  Rhoda;  over  the  river  is  Ghizeh, 
amid  groves  of  sycamore,  fig  and  palm  trees  ;  still  more 


i96  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

remote  the  pyramids  of  Ghizeh  and  Sakara,  and  beyond 
these  the  great  Lybian  desert.  To  the  north  may  be  seen 
the  green  plains  of  the  delta,  sprinkled  with  white  edifices; 
to  the  north  and  northeast  is  the  city  of  Cairo,  with  the 
domes  of  her  four  hundred  mosques  glistening  in  the  sun. 
It  is  a  never-to-be-forgotten  sight." 

It  is,  indeed,  and  one  may  spend  many  interesting 
days  among  the  ancient  ruins  and  in  the  now  bustling  and 
animated  city,  where  the  Oriental  manners  and  appear- 
ances are  remarkably  preserved.  The  best  houses  are 
built  around  courts,  in  the  larger  of  which  are  wells  and 
fountains,  and  the  entrance  way  is  handsomely  carved  and 
decorated.  The  projecting  upper  stories  almost  meet  their 
neighbors  across  the  narrow  streets,  while  in  the  cool  pass- 
age-way below  the  merchants  lazily  conduct  their  business, 
the  heavily  laden  donkeys  thread  their  way  and  occasion- 
ally a  long  line  of  camels  crowd  the  people  and  donkeys 
close  up  to  the  walls.  There  are  an  endless  number  of 
tropical  gardens  and  groves,  and  we  had  tea  under  an  ar- 
bor of  bougainvillea. 

One  may  make  the  trip  up  the  Nile  in  a  dahabeah, 
shaped  a  little  like  a  Chinese  junk  and  carrying  immense 
sails.  This  is  the  picturesque  and  poetical  way  but  it  re- 
quires a  great  deal  of  time  and  a  limitless  amount  of  patience, 
for  if  the  wind  refuses  to  blow  one  must  lie  for  hours  in  a 
scorching  heat  with  no  relief.  We  chose  the  prosaic  steam- 
boat as  offering  fewer  unpleasant  possibilities.  Our  first 
stop  was  made  at  a  little  mud-built  village,  Bedrashen, 
where  begins  the  ride  to  the  site  of  Memphis  and  the  Great 
Pyramids.  Here  is  the  vast  pile  forming  the  tomb  of 
Cheops,  two  others  of  immense  size  and  six  more  of  small- 


EMM  J  J.   BARTOL  197 


er  dimensions.  They  are  among  the  oldest  human  struc- 
tures in  existence  and  they  will  be  forever  enveloped  in 
mystery  and  fascination.  The  colossal  statue  of  Rameses 
II,  the  Apis  Tombs,  or  Tombs  of  the  Sacred  Bulls,  the 
eternal  sphinxes — richly  do  they  repay  the  long  and  hard 
journey  which  is  required  to  bring  the  traveller  into  their 
majestic  presence. 

And  so  we  sailed  on  up  the  sleepy  Nile,  one  of 
Cook's  big  excursion  steamers  ahead  of  us,  occasionally 
a  dahabeah  floating  lazily  down  the  stream,  the  water 
birds  flying  above  our  heads,  the  sacred  Ibis  wading  in 
the  shallow  edges  of  the  river,  the  mud-built  houses 
along  the  shore,  diversified  by  rocky  cliffs,  and  transient 
glimpses  of  pyramids  outlined  against  the  sky  in  the  dis- 
tance. 

We  spent  a  day  at  the  large  town  of  Siout,  formerly 
the  principal  slave  market  of  East  Africa  and  now  the 
focusing  point  of  the  caravans.  In  a  cold,  gray  fog  we 
visited  the  bazars,  the  potteries,  the  cemeteries  and  the 
handsome  mosques  ;  and  then  we  mounted  donkeys  to 
go  into  the  mountains  to  see  the  Tombs  of  the  Wolves. 
Our  next  stop  was  at  Denderah,  where  we  saw  the  man- 
ufacture of  water  jars  and  bottles.  This  village  is  noted 
for  a  large  temple  of  great  antiquity,  its  portico  sup- 
ported by  twenty-four  huge  columns. 

Our  anxiety  was  intense  to  see  Thebes,  capital  of 
the  kingdom  of  the  Pharoahs,  now  in  ruins,  but  nowhere 
in  the  world  can  be  seen  such  ruins  of  temples  and 
palaces,  obelisks,  statues  and  sphinxes.  It  has  been 
truly  said  that,  "  to  have  seen  the  monuments  of  Thebes 
is  to  have  seen  the  Egyptians  as   they  lived  and   moved 


ip8  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

before  the  eyes  of  Moses  ;  to  have  seen  the  tombs  of 
Thebes  is  to  have  seen  the  whole  religion  of  the  Egyp- 
tians at  the  most  solemn  moments  of  their  lives."  Its 
ruins,  extending  for  seven  miles  on  both  banks  of  the 
Nile,  are  the  most  magnificent  in  the  world  and  chief 
among  these  are  Karnak  and  Luxor.  On  Christmas 
day  we  went  to  Karnak.  Its  ancient  Temple  of  Ammon, 
or  Jupiter,  is  a  mile-and-a-half  in  circumference.  It 
faces  the  river  and  is  approached  through  an  avenue  of 
sphinxes  nearly  a  mile  long,  terminating  in  two  colossal 
statues  of  granite.  Beyond  these  is  an  immense  open 
court,  329  by  275  feet,  with  a  double  line  of  columns 
through  the  center  and  a  covered  corridor  on  each  side. 
Still  beyond  is  the  grand  Hall  of  Assembly,  329  by  170 
feet,  with  a  central  avenue  of  twelve  columns,  66  feet 
high  and  ^  feet  in  circumference,  and  seven  side  rows 
almost  as  large.  Court  and  halls  continue  for  600  feet 
farther,  filled  with  columns,  obelisks  and  statues,  rich  in 
historical  carving  beyond  description. 

The  Palace  of  Luxor,  more  than  a  mile  away,  is 
connected  by  a  street  strewn  with  ruins.  On  either  side 
of  the  doorway  stood  two  huge  obelisks,  eighty  feet  high 
and  eight  feet  square,  finely  sculptured  and  each  made 
from  a  single  block  of  granite.  One  of  these  was  pre- 
sented to  the  city  of  Paris  and  now  stands  in  the  center 
of  the  Place  de  la  Concorde.  Between  these  and  the 
gates  were  two  colossal  statues  44  feet  in  height.  This 
palace,  800  feet  in  length  and  200  in  width,  is  now  a 
mass  of  splendid  ruins,  reminders  of  a  period  when  royal 


EMMA  J.   BARTOL  igg 

rulers  lived  in  such  magnificence  as  never  since  has  been 
approached. 

The  enjoyment  one  experiences  in  wandering  about 
these  scenes  of  bygone  ages  is  greatly  marred  by  the 
crowds  of  natives  who  beset  one  on  every  side  begging 
for  backsheesh.  A  traveller  of  my  acquaintance,  expressed 
his  feelings  while  on  a  visit  there  by  the  following  humor- 
ous verses  : 

LINES  SUGGESTED  BY  A  RIDE  THROUGH  LUXOR. 

The  shades  of  night  were  falling  fast, 

As  through  the  Luxor  village  passed 

Two  dames  who  rode  with  haughty  mein, 

Two  donkeys  that  were  lank  and  lean, 

While  round  about  them  pressed  the  crowd, 

Which  cried  in  accents  shrill  and  loud,  "  Backsheesh." 

"  Oh,  stop  !  oh,  stop  !  "   a  native  whined, 

"This  scarrabi  is  good  and  fine." 

Another  one  with  naked  feet 

Cried,  "  Lady,  this  is  real  '  antike,'  " 

While  falling  shadows  hid  the  crowd, 

Which  still  cried  out  in  accent  loud,  '«  Backsheesh." 

The  boat  at  last  they  got  aboard, 

Found  refuge  from  the  savage  horde, 

The  plank  pulled  in,  they  steamed  away, 

As  night  wiped  out  the  closing  day, 

And  as  they  went,  one  mighty  shout 

From  every  throat  was  given  out,  "  Backsheesh." 

Oh  Rameses,  thou  mighty  king, 

In  days  of  yore  did  such  a  thing 

As  "  backsheesh"  make  your  life  a  curse, 

And  make  you  long  to  quit  the  earth  ? 

Or  if  it  did,  at  least  you  missed 

The  "  antike  "  seller  from  the  list.  H.    W.    B. 

The  Couch  Temple  and  the  Temple  of  Edfos  were 
deeply  interesting,  the  latter  having  been  discovered  in  a 


200  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

state  of  almost  perfection  by  excavations.  It  has  been 
covered  by  the  dust  and  debris  of  ages  until  a  village 
had  sprung  up  on  the  surface,  whose  inhabitants  were  in 
complete  ignorance  of  the  great  temple  which  lay  buried 
beneath  them.  We  visited  also  the  Silsil  quarry,  the  ap- 
parently inexhaustible  source  from  which  the  stone  was 
taken  to  build  these  temples.  The  sandstone  continues 
to  Assouan  where  the  granite  ranges  begin.  Here  the 
stone  was  quarried  for  the  colossal  statue  of  Rameses  the 
Great,  the  largest  ever  made.  It  was  63  feet  around  the 
shoulders. 

We  anchored  at  Assouan,  which  lies  just  below  the 
first  cataract  of  the  Nile.  It  is  the  starting  point  for  the 
vast  commerce  which  goes  down  the  great  river  to  Cairo 
and  Alexandria.  We  mounted  donkeys  here  and  rode  six 
miles,  then  took  small  boats  and  finally  reached  the  little 
Island  of  Philae.  This  remarkable  spot  is  only  400  yards 
in  length  but  is  covered  with  luxuriant  foliage  in  the 
midst  of  which  are  obelisks,  statues,  a  long  colonnade,  a 
triumphal  arch  and  four  temples.  The  principal  one  of 
the  latter  is  the  Temple  of  Isis,  in  one  room  of  which  is  the 
story  in  sculpture  of  the  death  of  Osiris,  his  embalment, 
burial,  resurrection  and  enthronment  as  Judge  of  the 
Dead. 

On  the  trip  back  to  Cairo  we  visited  many  historical 
spots  on  the  opposite  bank  of  the  Nile,  which  is  almost 
lined  with  ruins.  Many  of  these  are  several  miles  inland 
and  must  be  reached  by  the  only  available  mode  of  trans- 
portation— the  donkeys.  Their  drivers,  the  Arab  boys, 
are  very  shrewd  and  seem  to  have  an  intuitive  knowledge 
of  nationality  which  they  play  upon  by  always  recom- 


EMM  J  J.   BARTOL  201 


mending  a  donkey  to  an  Englishman  as  Queen  Victoria 
and  to  an  American  as  Yankee  Doodle.  On  New  Year's 
Day,  in  order  to  vary  the  monotony  of  ancient  ruins,  we 
mounted  these  faithful  animals  for  a  trip  to  a  sugar  factory. 
It  was  a  lovely  ride  under  the  trees  along  the  shore  and 
then  through  the  vast  fields  of  cane.  The  next  day  we 
took  a  similar  but  longer  journey,  past  the  irrigating  canals 
which  water  the  gardens  of  beans,  onions  and  other  vege- 
tables, and  the  fields  of  lucern,  barley  and  wheat,  then 
through  the  lanes  bordered  with  the  datex-mimosa  trees, 
and  finally  we  stopped  for  luncheon  in  a  beautiful  old 
temple.  The  ride  home  by  sunset  was  a  long-to-be- 
remembered  experience. 

At  Beni-Hassan,  noted  for  its  sculptured  grottoes, 
preparations  were  being  made  for  a  visit  from  the  Khedive 
and  the  streets  were  spanned  with  arches  of  palms  and 
flowers.  This  village,  it  is  said,  was  once  destroyed  by 
orders  of  Mohamet  Ali  because  of  the  rascality  and 
thieving  propensities  of  its  inhabitants.  Those  who 
have  risen  from  its  ashes  are  not  much  better,  and  on 
some  of  our  excursions  we  had  to  have  an  armed  troop 
of  cavalry  to  protect  us. 

We  finally  reached  Cairo  where  we  remained  for 
three  weeks,  deciding  meanwhile  to  continue  our  journey 
to  Yokahama.  We  were  busy  with  shop  keepers  and 
dressmakers  but  found  time  for  various  diversions.  One 
afternoon  we  had  tea  with  a  noted  American  physician 
who  was  practicing  there,  and  later  attended  a  lecture  on 
Egypt  in  his  museum  of  mummies  and  Egyptian  relics. 
A  young  man  who  had  been  a  class  mate  of  my  grandson 
at  a  school  in  Switzerland  called  upon  us.      He  was  the 


202  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

son  of  a  prominent  Pasha  who  paid  us  much  attention. 
We  were  invited  to  his  country  place  where  we  met  his 
chief  wife,  who  showed  and  explained  to  us  many  inter- 
esting things  in  the  harem.  He  took  us  through  the 
beautiful  gardens  and  every  courtesy  was  extended  to  us. 
We  had  afternoon  tea  and,  on  leaving,  the  lovely  cups 
we  had  used  were  presented  to  us.  At  another  time  we 
were  invited  to  the  harem  in  the  city.  We  were  met  at 
the  door  by  our  young  friend  and  his  man  servant  and 
at  once  had  coffee.  This  is  made  by  putting  a  pinch  of 
powdered  coffee  in  a  tiny  cup  and  pouring  boiling  water 
on  it;  it  is  ready  to  drink  as  soon  as  it  settles.  These 
pretty  cups  were  also  presented  to  us,  but  whether  as  a 
compliment  or  because  no  member  of  the  family  could 
use  them  after  a  Christian  had  drank  out  of  them  must 
remain  undecided.  We  were  then  introduced  to  several 
of  the  wives  and  seated  at  a  table  where  we  were  served 
with  tea,  cakes  and  fruit  and  waited  on  by  them.  On 
taking  leave  handsome  bouquets  were  given  to  us. 

One  day  we  drove  out  to  the  ostrich  farm  where  we 
saw  seven  hundred  of  these  queer  birds,  some  of  them 
only  a  day  or  two  old.  The  old  males,  which  are  very 
cross,  usually  have  black  plumage,  while  the  females  and 
the  young  are  brown.  We  made  many  interesting  trips 
out  from  Cairo  but  the  weather  was  unusually  cold,  with 
a  wind  which  blew  the  fine  sand  into  our  faces,  so  that 
we  were  quite  ready  to  start  on  our  sea  voyage  to  India 
and  Japan. 


EMMA  J.  BARTOL  203 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

We  went  by  train  from  Cairo  to  Ismailia,  a  journey 
of  four  or  five  hours,  this  being  the  nearest  point  for 
taking  the  steamer  as  it  came  down  the  Suez  Canal. 
During  the  building  of  the  canal  the  works  were  located 
here  and  we  visited  the  house  where  De  Lesseps  lived 
for  a  number  of  years.  At  six  o'clock  on  the  morning 
of  January  29th,  1 89 1,  we  boarded  the  steamship  "  Ori- 
ental." Sixty-five  passengers  disembarked  for  Cairo  but 
120  were  left.  In  another  day  we  finished  the  passage 
of  the  canal  and  found  ourselves  in  the  long,  narrow  Gulf 
of  Suez.  Beyond  the  low  shores  rise  rocky  headlands 
or  sandy  table  lands  about  3,000  feet  high  and,  looking 
back,  the  view  is  picturesque.  As  we  sailed  down  this 
narrow  arm  of  the  sea,  nearly  200  miles  in  length,  only 
a  few  miles  wide  and  so  shallow  that  the  ship  must  steer 
carefully  in  the  centre,  the  most  prominent  object  was 
Mt.  Sinai,  which  lifts  its  head  about  7,500  feet  above  the 
water's  level  on  the  eastern  side. 

At  last  the  way  widened  and  we  steamed  out  into  the 
Red  Sea.  But  why  is  it  called  the  Red  Sea  ?  It  is  green, 
bright  green,  but  it  contains  large  quantities  of  red  coral. 
The  Arabians  call  it  Bahr-Malak — Salt  Sea — which  is 
much  more  appropriate.  It  is  two  hundred  miles  wide 
and  1,460  long  and  we  were  a  week  in  making  the  voy- 
age. The  water  was  calm  and  the  air  deliciously  soft, 
while  the  rising  and  setting  sun  brought  out  the  sharp 
ridges  of  distant  hills  and  the  deep  shadows  of  ravines. 
The  passengers  donned  their   thinnest   clothing   and   all 


204  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 


sorts  of  amusements  were  devised  to  pass  the  time.  An 
egg  race,  the  contestant  trying  to  carry  an  egg  in  a  spoon 
from  one  end  of  deck  to  the  other  without  dropping  it, 
proved  very  amusing,  as  did  the  potato  race,  picking  up 
the  potatoes  as  they  rolled  about  the  deck  and  putting 
them  in  buckets.  The  ladies  had  a  threading  needle  race 
and  also  a  tug-of-war,  all  pulling  lustily  at  the  rope. 
There  were  athletic  sports  of  many  kinds,  and  in  the 
evening,  after  dinner,  the  prizes  were  given  and  there  was 
a  dance.  Each  of  the  three  decks  was  provided  with  a 
piano  and  the  sides  being  enclosed  with  gaily  colored 
bunting  one  could  hardly  imagine  oneself  on  a  ship  in 
the  middle  of  a  wide  sea. 

We  dropped  anchor  in  the  harbor  of  Aden  at  the 
lower  end  of  Arabia  where  the  Arabian  Sea  begins.  This 
strongly  fortified  place  belongs  to  the  East  India  Com- 
pany and  is  one  of  the  greatest  coaling  stations  in  the 
world.  We  were  glad  indeed  to  jump  into  little  boats 
and  go  on  shore  for  a  while.  We  inspected  the  great 
tanks  where  water  is  stowed  but  decided  to  stick  to 
oranges,  pale  ale  and  bottled  soda.  We  were  rowed  back 
to  the  ship  by  four  savage  looking,  red-haired  Arabs, 
who  proved  to  be  arrant  knaves.  Soon  we  were  off  again 
for  Bombay,  several  day's  voyage  directly  eastward,  and 
when  we  reached  this  port  we  were  6,600  miles  from 
London  and  almost  10,000  from  the  United  States. 

We  remained  eight  days  at  Bombay,  and  had  a  suc- 
cession of  novel  and  deeply  interesting  experiences.  This 
city  of  nearly  three  quarters  of  a  million  of  people  is  sit- 
uated on  an  island  off  the  west  coast  of  Hindustan,  about 
eighteen  miles  in  circumference.    The  harbor  is  the  safest 


EMM  J  J.   BARTOL  205 


in  India  and  large  enough  for  a  thousand  ships  to  lie  at 
anchor.  This  is  the  shipping  port  for  the  produce  of 
Persia,  Arabia  and  the  Malay  Archipelago,  and  here  are 
the  headquarters  of  the  Indian  navy  and  of  the  army  of 
Bombay.  The  native  troops  are  officered  by  English- 
men, and  there  are  many  British  soldiers.  The  city  is 
surrounded  by  massive  fortifications  and  on  its  streets  is 
the  most  motley  population  to  be  seen  in  the  world — 
Hindus,  Parsees,  Chinese,  Arabs,  Armenians,  Abyssin- 
ians,  Greeks,  Portuguese,  Jews,  English,  French,  Amer- 
icans— each  nationality  dressed  in  its  own  costume,  all 
pouring  through  the  crowded  streets  in  picturesque  con- 
fusion. The  Parsees  are  the  chief  merchants  and  prop- 
erty owners  and  they  and  the  Europeans  live  in  the  old 
part  of  the  city  and  what  is  known  as  the  fort,  where 
there  are  the  principal  public  buildings,  the  best  churches, 
a  park,  etc.  In  the  so-called  new  part,  a  mile  away,  is 
the  Hindu  and  Mohammedan  native  population.  Out- 
side of  the  city  are  many  handsome  country  seats  sur- 
rounded by  gardens  and  shaded  by  mangoes,  palms  and 
tamarinds.  The  roads  are  excellent  and  there  are  many 
groves  of  cocoanut  trees. 

We  enjoyed  going  to  the  markets,  which  are  light 
and  airy  and  well  supplied  with  an  abundance  of  native 
fruits  and  vegetables,  including  cabbage  grown  in  the 
mountains,  of  which  the  English  are  so  fond.  We  always 
bought  some  of  our  beloved  tomatoes,  which  were  never 
supplied  at  the  table,  as  the  English  do  not  care  for  them, 
the  hotel  being  patronized  principally  by  the  English  the 
food  was  cooked  to  suit  them.  One  day  we  visited  the 
"  Tower  of  Silence  "  where  the  Parsees  bury  their  dead. 


206  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

The  vultures  sit  in  solemn  silence  around  the  Tower  and 
when  they  descry  a  funeral  cortege  leaving  Bombay  they 
are  all  excitement,  fluttering  and  flying,  for  as  soon  as  the 
dead  are  deposited  inside  the  tower  in  iron  trays  the  vul- 
tures tear  the  bodies  to  pieces.  We  made  an  excursion 
in  a  steam  launch  and  then  in  chairs  to  the  Caves  of  Ele- 
phanta,  a  difficult  trip  but  well  worth  the  trouble. 

The  Parsees  are  a  fine,  intelligent  people.  Having 
heard  they  had  an  excellent  hospital  for  animals,  we  visited 
it  and  found  it  very  interesting.  All  maimed  and  sick 
animals  are  well  cared  for — have  their  own  physicians  and 
attendants  with  pleasant  and  comfortable  quarters.  We 
visited  also  Victoria  Gardens  and  the  Museum,  where  we 
saw  panthers  and  immense  tigers  from  their  native  jungles. 
The  monkeys  had  no  cages  but  were  simply  chained  to 
the  forest  trees,  with  a  little  cubby  house  in  the  branches 
among  which  they  ran  up  and  down  and  seemed  very 
happy.  There  were  many  ostriches,  kangaroos  and  other 
animals. 

We  found  much  difficulty  in  getting  sleeping  accom- 
modations for  women  but  finally  succeeded.  But  I  must 
sketch  very  hastily  our  trip  through  India  if  this  book  is 
not  to  reach  undue  length.  At  Baroda  we  got  coffee  and 
eggs  at  the  station,  then  visited  a  superb  palace  and  also 
the  stables  for  the  elephants,  where  each  animal  has  its 
special  keeper.  At  another  palace  we  saw  many  jewels 
as  large  as  walnuts,  and  pearls  as  large  as  hickory  nuts, 
also  a  carpet  of  pearls  and  rubies.  This  is  one  of  the 
richest  cities  in  Hindustan. 

From  Baroda  we  went  to  Ahmendabad  to  see  the 
most  beautiful  mosque  in  India,  the  tomb  of  Ahmed. 


EMM  J  J.  BARTOL  207 

The  town  was  nearly  destroyed  by  an  earthquake  in  1822 
and  is  in  a  sad  state  of  dilapidation,  but  it  is  not  lacking 
in  gods.  We  visited  Tain  Temple  where  we  saw  fifty- 
two,  one  for  every  week  in  the  year. 

The  sleeping  cars  are  English  and  the  arrangements 
are  peculiar.  When  it  grows  dark  a  porter  at  the  station 
brings  a  barrow  load  of  sheets,  pillows  and  blankets. 
He  gives  you  as  many  as  you  wish  and  you  arrange  them 
to  suit  yourself.  We  arrived  in  the  morning  at  Jaipur, 
the  capital  of  Rajputana.  Here  we  went  to  the  Hall  of 
the  Winds,  the  fountains,  the  bazars,  Albert  Hall,  the 
Maharaja's  Palace  and  stables  with  three  hundred  horses, 
elephants  and  their  care  takers.  The  situation  is  ex- 
tremely picturesque,  the  city  being  built  along  the  slopes 
of  a  lofty  hill  immediately  over  the  lake,  the  summit  be- 
ing crowned  with  a  powerful  fortress.  This  is  a  great 
center  for  the  manufacture  as  well  as  the  distribution  of 
Indian  artistic  workmanship  and  every  possible  handicraft 
is  carried  on.  Jaipur  enamelled  jewelry  is  the  finest  made. 
Nothing  is  done  by  machinery  in  India. 

We  also  visited  Amber  which  was  formerly  the 
capital  of  the  State  but  is  now  abandoned.  They  move 
the  capital  from  time  to  time  in  order  to  give  all  parts  of 
the  State  equal  advantages.  The  Maharaja  sent  his  ele- 
phant for  us  to  ride  to  the  palace.  A  kind  of  platform 
was  strapped  on  the  elephant's  back  which  held  four 
persons,  he  knelt  down  and  we  took  our  seats,  then  he 
rose  and  we  moved  on.  The  motion  is  rather  bumpty- 
bumpty  and  far  from  enjoyable.  Bye  and  bye  we  came 
to  a  lake  where,  basking  in  the  sun,  lav  a  number  of 
enormous  alligators.     To  quote  another  :     "  The  city  of 


208  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

Amber  is  quite  deserted  except  by  a  number  of  fakirs,  or 
Hindu  ascetics,  who  have  taken  possession  of  the  empty 
houses.  It  is  a  weird  looking  place,  and  as  the  huge 
elephants  plodded  slowly  through  its  streets,  no  human 
being  was  seen  except  some  unkempt  and  ash-strewn 
creature  looking  out  of  the  window  or  over  the  edge  of 
the  roof.  There  is  nothing  stranger  in  all  India's  past 
history  than  the  desertion  by  some  monarch,  for  reasons 
now  lost  in  obscurity,  of  his  splendid  palace  and  well 
built  capital,  taking  with  him  not  only  his  court,  but  the 
entire  population." 

Delhi  is,  as  has  been  said,  "  one  of  the  historic  cities 
of  the  world,  and  had  a  distinct  existence  1,500  years  be- 
fore the  Christian  era It  ranks  for  architectural 

beauty,  historical  associations  and  present  social  interest 
with  Rome,  Athens,  Cairo,  Venice  or  Constantinople." 
It  is  impossible  to  touch  even  briefly  upon  its  many 
points  of  interest,  but  mention  must  be  made  of  the 
Tower  of  Kutab-Minar,  which  one  reaches  by  an  extended 
drive  along  a  road  lined  on  both  sides  with  ancient 
mausoleums.  This  tower,  built  nearly  700  years  ago,  is 
twice  the  height  of  the  Duke  of  York's  Column  in  Lon- 
don, and  it  is  said  that  "  nothing  can  compare  with  it  for 
beauty  of  design  and  perfection  of  proportion  except  the 
Campanile  of  Giotto  at  Florence,  which  was  erected  at 
the  same  period.  The  whole  structure  is  encrusted  with 
chapters  from  the  Koran  sculptured  in  relief.  It  is  a 
tower  of  victory  and  has  looked  down  upon  Hindus  con- 
quered by  its  founder,  under  an  unbroken  Mohammaden 
sway  from  its  completion  until  the  mutiny  of  1857." 

Agra  is  the  second  city  in  the  northwest  provinces, 
both  in  size  and  importance,  and  is  considered  by  some 


EMMA  J.  BARTOL  209 

travellers  the  most  interesting  place  in  all  India.  The 
Prince  of  Wales  once  held  a  durbar  here.  We  visited 
the  Pearl  Mosque,  which  is  the  court  chapel,  and 
then  the  Taj  Mahal,  one  of  the  renowned  buildings  of 
the  world,  which  20,000  workmen  were  employed  for 
seventeen  years  in  erecting  and  decorating.  It  was  built 
by  Shah  Jahan  over  the  body  of  his  beloved  wife.  The 
enclosure  in  which  it  is  placed  is  a  great  garden  where 
orange,  lemon,  pomegrante,  and  other  flowering  shrubs 
and  trees,  and  marble  fish-ponds,  speak  of  the  East. 
Inside  the  Taj,  the  Emperor  and  his  beloved  Queen  are 
buried  side  by  side  in  marble  tombs  inlaid  with  rich 
gems.  Sir  Edwin  Arnold  says,  "  The  wonder  of  the 
Agra  and  the  Crown  of  the  World  is  the  Taj,  the  peer- 
less tomb,  built  for  the  fair,  dead  body  of  Arjamand 
Banu  Begum  by  her  lord  and  lover,  the  Emperor,  Shah 
Jahan." 

"  The  deserted  city  of  Fatepuhr  Sikri  must  not  be 
passed  by,  no  matter  how  pressed  for  time  the  traveller 
may  be,"  is  good  advice.  It  is  a  drive  of  three-hours- 
and-a-half  from  Delhi,  and  on  the  way  one  will  see  almost 
every  bird  which  is  native  to  India.  All  of  its  magnifi- 
cent gates,  arches,  palaces,  mosques  and  tombs  are  sup- 
posed to  have  been  erected  during  the  dynasty  of  a  single 
ruler,  Akbar  the  Great,  and  to  have  been  erected  within 
a  period  of  thirty  years.  His  successor  preferred  Delhi 
for  his  capital  and  so  all  the  splendors  of  Fatepuhr  Sikri 
were  abandoned. 

Cawnpur,  the  presidency  of  Bengal,  lies  on  the  banks 
of  the  Ganges,  which  here  is  a  mile  wide.  It  is  a  large 
modern  Indian  city  and  has  little  interest  for  the  traveller 


210  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

except  as  the  scene  of  the  great  massacre  during  the 
Mutiny.  The  Memorial  Gardens  comprise  fifty  acres 
and  surround  the  fatal  well  into  which  were  cast  hundreds 
of  Christian  women  and  children,  the  living  with  the  dead. 
A  mound  has  been  raised  over  it,  crowned  with  a  beauti- 
ful monument,  the  figure  of  an  angel  in  white  marble.  A 
Government  grant  of  $2,500  a  year  maintains  these  gar- 
dens. There  are  also  monuments  over  the  soldiers  who 
were  slain. 

Lucknow  also  is  a  modern  city  of  several  hundred 
thousand  people,  half  of  them  Musselmen,  and  is  the 
center  of  Mohammedan  learning  and  aristocracy.  It  is 
divided  into  what  may  be  called  the  court  end  and  the 
mercantile  end,  but  possesses  little  of  interest  except  the 
Royal  Tombs,  the  ancient  Cathedral  and  the  ruins  of  the 
Residency  which  was  so  heroically  defended  by  the  British 
troops  during  the  Mutiny.  The  city  is  situated  in  what 
may  be  called  the  Garden  of  India  and  at  a  distance  pre- 
sents an  imposing  view,  but  all  romance  is  dispelled  on 
closer  acquaintance,  as  is  the  case  with  most  of  these  East 
Indian  cities. 

Many  chapters  might  be  written  without  exhausting 
the  interesting  points  of  Benares.  It  is  situated  on  the 
Ganges  about  four  hundred  miles  above  its  mouth,  and 
its  name  means  "  the  splendid."  It  is  the  center  of  the 
Hindu  faith,  and  here  the  princes,  rajahs,  bankers  and 
merchants  of  that  religion  maintain  their  gorgeous  palaces. 
It  is  believed  to  be  the  most  ancient  city  in  India  and  to 
date  back  to  Aryan  times.  A  panorama  of  mosques, 
temples  and  mansions  stretches  for  miles  along  the  river, 
and  a  wilderness  of  domes,  towers  and  minarets   is   out- 


EMM  J  J.   BARTOL  211 

lined  against  the  sky.  Some  of  the  domes  are  covered 
with  beaten  gold  and  within  the  temples  is  a  wealth  of 
carving  and  decoration.  In  many  of  them  also  are  sacred 
wells  in  which  the  devotees  have  bathed  until  their  odor 
fills  the  air. 

There  are  many  colleges  here,  Indian  and  Christian  ; 
it  is  the  seat  of  Hindu  learning  and  the  British  Govern- 
ment has  a  university,  a  notable  institution  with  nearly  a 
thousand  students.  One  of  the  Hindu  princes  has 
established  an  excellent  school  where  almost  that  many 
girls  are  educated,  a  most  unusual  thing  for  India. 
Benares  is  noted  throughout  the  world  for  its  ornamental 
brass  work,  its  brocades,  embroideries,  and  India  shawls, 
and  its  bazars  hold  an  endless  fascination  for  the  shopper 
and  sightseer. 

The  chief  interest  of  this  city,  however,  is  in  its 
religious  devotees.  The  place  is  largely  given  over  to 
idolatry,  and  every  pious  Brahmin  in  India  tries  to  get 
to  Benares  before  he  dies  and  bathe  in  the  sacred  Ganges 
to  wash  away  his  sins.  All  along  the  river  bank  are 
ghats,  or  stairways,  and  tourists  every  morning  take  boats 
and  row  past  them.  Our  own  personal  experiences  have 
been  so  well  described  that  I  will  give  them  in  the 
language  of  another. 

"  Up  and  down  the  ghats  all  day  streams  the  end- 
less course  of  pilgrims,  ragged  tramps,  aged  crones,  hor- 
rible beggars,  hawkers,  Brahmin  priests,  sacred  bulls  and 
cows,  Hindu  preachers,  wealthy  bankers  and  rajahs  in 
gay  palanquins,  Fakirs,  pariah  dogs  and  scoffing  globe 
trotters  from  Europe  and  America.  A  pathetic  feature 
of  this  jostling,  bellowing  crowd  is  the  large  number  of 


212  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

tottering  aged  women,  with  scanty  white  locks,  coming 
out  of  the  cold  river  and  crawling  feebly  up  the  steep 
steps  in  their  clinging  wet  clothes.  Hundreds  of  aged 
creatures  of  both  sexes  are  always  in  Benares,  having  left 
house  and  family,  perhaps  a  thousand  miles  away,  never 
to  return,  happy  and  glad  to  chill  themselves  into  Heaven 
in  the  sacred  waves  of  the  Ganges." 

Calcutta  is  the  seat  of  the  British  Government  in 
India  and  was  founded  by  the  London  Company  in  the 
seventeenth  century.  It  lies  on  the  Hoogly  River,  one 
of  the  mouths  of  the  Ganges,  the  traffic  of  which  it  re- 
ceives, as  well  as  that  of  the  Brahmaputra  River  and  the 
two  great  railway  systems  of  India.  At  certain  seasons  it 
is  crowded  with  English  people,  and  one  finds  some  of 
them  always  at  the  hotels.  We  were  strikingly  reminded 
of  the  class  distinctions  when  at  dinner  we  observed  that 
every  guest  had  his  own  servant  to  wait  on  him,  dressed 
in  the  native  costume  of  his  caste.  Some  wore  a  turban, 
others  a  fez,  and  with  the  gay  colors  the  effect  was  most 
picturesque. 

The  best  residence  part  of  Calcutta  is  distinctly 
modern.  Here  the  streets  are  wide  and  there  are  many 
elegant  mansions  surrounded  by  spacious  grounds.  The 
Government  House  stands  in  a  garden  of  six  or  seven 
acres  and  is  a  veritable  palace  where  splendid  entertain- 
ments are  given.  Near  here  are  many  handsome  public 
buildings,  a  large  park,  Dalhousie  Square,  and  farther  on 
the  wide  river  crowded  with  shipping.  Around  College 
Square  are  a  number  of  fine,  large  educational  institutions. 
Starting  in  the  other  direction  from  the  Government 
House  one  enters  upon  the  famous  Chowringhi    Road 


o 

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z 

m 

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fa. 
w 

CQ 

w 
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O 

BQ 

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Z 

CU 


EMMA  J.  BARTOL  213 


which  stretches  along  the  Maidan,  the  pride  of  Calcutta. 
This  is  in  fact  a  park  nearly  two  miles  long  and  a  mile 
wide  ;  facing  it  the  whole  length  are  elegant  mansions  and 
at  the  end  the  cathedral  and  the  bishop's  palace.  To  the 
right  are  the  race  course,  the  zoological  and  horticultural 
gardens,  the  beautiful  home  of  the  Lieutenant-Governor 
and  other  interesting  features.  One  may  return  to  the 
city  past  Fort  William  by  the  magnificent  river  drive, 
which  in  the  evening  is  thronged  with  the  carriages  of 
the  English  and  the  wealthy  natives. 

But  when  one  goes  into  the  poorer  quarters  of  the 
town  what  a  contrast !  The  streets  are  narrow  and  dirty, 
the  houses  of  mud  or  straw,  the  shops  dingy  and  bad 
smelling,  the  people  half-naked  or  nearly  so,  the  air  filled 
with  discordant  noises,  the  whole  most  unsanitary  and 
repulsive.  The  tourist  will  want  to  see  the  Kali  Ghat 
where  bloody  sacrifices  are  made,  and  the  Burning  Ghat 
where  the  dead  are  cremated. 

The  traveller  must  not  fail  to  visit  the  Botanical 
Gardens  where  there  is  one  of  the  largest  banyan  trees  in 
the  world.  It  is  a  century  old,  its  trunk  is  fifty  feet  in 
girth,  several  hundred  of  its  branches  have  dropped  to 
the  earth  and  taken  root  and  the  outside  measurement  is 
over  800  feet.  There  is  also  a  superb  display  of  orchids 
and  other  tropical  plants.  The  Imperial  Museum  must 
also  be  visited  for  its  rare  archaeological  and  geological 
exhibits. 

If  the  tourist  decide  to  go  to  Darjiling  he  will  have 
a  hard  trip  of  about  250  miles  due  north,  his  train  crawl- 
ing up  the  Himalyas  at  ten  miles  an  hour  to  a  height  of 
7,200  feet.       It  has  been  called  "  the  grandest  railway 


214  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

journey  in  the  world,"  and  certainly  there  is  nothing 
equal  to  the  view  which  lies  before  one  after  this  wonder- 
ful place  is  reached.  To  use  the  words  of  another  :  "No 
pen  can  give  any  adequate  description  of  the  stupendous 
magnificence  of  the  situation  and  surroundings  of  Darjil- 
ling.  It  is  at  the  end  of  the  long  wooded  spur  of  Sin- 
chul,  a  mountain  about  9,000  feet  high,  which  projects 
its  steep  sides  out  into  an  amphitheatre,  the  floor  of  which 
is  paved  with  hills  6,000  or  8,000  feet  above  the  sea,  and 
its  walls  the  giants  of  the  mighty  Himalyas.  Between 
these  mountains,  which  stretch  in  a  chain  200  miles  in 
extent,  are  continuous  successions  of  snow  fields  and  gla- 
ciers, and  in  the  center  of  the  whole  range  rises  their  glo- 
rious monarch,  Kinchinjanga,  whose  crown  of  ice  rears 
itself  five  clear  miles  above  the  plain  of  Bengal." 

Darjiling  is  the  great  health  resort  for  Bengal ;  the 
soldiers  are  sent  up  here  when  overcome  by  long  resi- 
dence in  the  low,  hot  parts  of  India,  and  into  this  de- 
lightfully cool  spot  the  better  classes  of  Calcutta  come 
when  the  heated  season  approaches.  The  climate  is  ideal, 
never  above  8o°  in  summer,  while  blooming  flowers  may 
be  found  here  all  winter.  The  more  adventurous  tour- 
ists are  carried  in  baskets  six  or  seven  miles  further  up 
the  mountain  side  to  see  the  sun  rise  above  Mount  Ever- 
est, but  we  were  satisfied  to  wait  until  its  rays  reached  the 
village  about  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning.  These  moun- 
tains are  still  the  abode  of  wild  elephants,  tigers  and  the 
rhinoceros. 

The  town  clusters  about  the  famous  bazar,  or  mar- 
ket, while  beautiful  villas  are  scattered  for  several  miles 
roundabout  on  every    projecting  knoll.     We  met  a  tea 


EMM  J  J.  BARTOL  215 

merchant  and  his  wife  at  our  English  hotel,  "  The  Wood- 
lands," and  gladly  accepted  an  invitation  to  visit  their  tea 
plantation  down  the  mountain  side.  The  tea  plant  grows 
in  rows  about  as  high  as  a  currant  bush  and  we  had  the 
entire  process  of  preparing  for  market  explained  to  us. 
The  gentleman  told  us  that  one  night  he  was  driving 
down  an  "alley"  between  the  rows  of  tea  plants  when  he 
heard  a  growl  and  saw  two  balls  of  yellow  glaring  in  front 
of  him.  It  was  a  tiger  devouring  a  cow,  and  he  made  a 
hasty  retreat  to  save  himself  from  being  torn  to  pieces, 
as  he  would  have  been  had  he  interfered  with  the  meal. 
We  were  taken  back  to  the  hotel  in  a  chair  carried  by 
three  men,  as  the  elevation  was  too  great  for  walking. 

We  had  left  Calcutta  in  the  thinnest  of  clothing  we 
possessed;  when  we  reached  Darjiling  we  found  snow 
and  were  glad  to  gather  about  a  fire,  and  on  our  return 
to  Calcutta  we  made  haste  to  don  again  our  linens  and 
pongees. 


2i6  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

We  left  Calcutta  in  the  steamer  "  Kaisir-i-Hind" 
and  lay  all  night  in  the  Hoogly  River.  At  last  we  steamed 
out  into  the  Bay  of  Bengal,  its  surface  glistening  like  a 
mirror  in  the  blazing  sun,  and  on  Easter  morning  we 
anchored  off  the  coast  near  Madras,  which  has  no  harbor. 

Among  a  lot  of  old  papers  I  have  found  just  one 
letter  of  the  many  that  were  written  on  this  long  journey, 
and  as  it  describes  this  part  of  it  I  will  use  it  because  of 
its  personal  features. 

Bay  of  Bengal,  en  route  for  Ceylon,  March  28,  1891. 

"  It  is  some  time  since  I  have  written  to  you  but 
writing  has  been  difficult  since  we  landed  at  Bombay  for 
we  have  had  so  much  to  see  and  to  do.  Travelling  has 
been  hard — some  times  by  night — and  we  have  been 
over  2,700  miles  into  the  interior  of  India.  We  first 
went  to  Baroda,  where  we  slept  at  the  station  in  a  very 
plain  room  with  a  brick  floor,  no  ceiling,  only  rafters, 
two  single  iron  bedsteads,  and  every  indispensible  toilet 
as  rude  and  sparse  as  nature  would  allow.  The  next  day 
I  had  an  opportunity  of  seeing  the  swarms  of  monkeys 
under  all  conditions.  I  visited  one  Hindu  temple  where 
monkeys  lived  unconstrained  in  the  interior  and  were  re- 
garded as  sacred  objects  of  worship.  I  am  sorry  to  say 
they  did  not  behave  very  well,  nor  did  the  sanctity  of  the 
place  seem  to  act  benignantly  on  their  dispositions  ;  in 
fact  they  behaved  like  the  worst  spoiled  young  ones,  and 
snapped  and  flew  at  me  until  I   thought  they  would  tear 


EMMA  J.   BARTOL  217 


me  to  pieces  because  I  wanted  to  feed  the  little  ones  with 
candy.  They  are  a  nuisance  and  terror  to  all  the  neigh- 
borhood, stealing  and  destroying  everything. 

At  another  city,  Benares,  they  have  a  temple  where 
they  keep  sacred  bulls,  which  we  also  visited.  They 
drive  these  bulls  down  to  the  Ganges  where  they  are 
bathed  with  more  care  than  many  children  are.  It  is 
wonderful  to  see  what  things  people  worship  and  how 
devout  and  earnest  they  are.  One  comes  to  the  con- 
clusion that  religion  and  goodness  do  not  go  hand  in 
hand,  and  in  fact  have  nothing  to  do  with  each  other. 
The  Ganges  is  a  very  sacred  river,  as  also  the  Hoogly,  by 
which  we  left  Calcutta.  The  former  is  full  of  dreadful 
quicksands  which  are  constantly  shifting,  and  vessels  of 
large  tonnage  have  been  swallowed  up  in  a  very  few 
hours.  Although  the  heat  was  fearful  we  were  obliged 
to  have  all  our  port  windows  closed  for  fear  we  might 
careen  on  one  of  those  dreadful  bars  and  be  sucked  in. 
I  was  thankful  when  after  two  days  of  slow  steaming  we 
at  last  got  out  to  sea  in  the  Bay  of  Bengal. 

Easter  Sunday  : — It  is  a  trifle  cooler  and  I  will  try 
to  go  on.  The  flying  fish  are  dashing  about,  frightened 
at  the  approach  of  the  steamer.  How  I  wish  I  knew 
what  you  are  all  doing  and  how  you  are  this  lovely  Easter 
morn.  Yesterday  I  saw  the  sun  rise  proudly  out  of  the 
sea,  a  large  red  orb  with  back  ground  of  liquid  gold  and 
delicate  pink  clouds  floating  in  an  azure  sky.  I  likewise 
saw  it  set  in  a  bank  of  dark  purple  clouds  and  later  came 
the  moon,  also  a  large  red  orb  not  to  be  out-done  in  tone 
and  color  by  Mr.    Sun   her  predecessor,    and    she    rose 


2i8  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

proudly  upward  to  a  dark  blue  heaven  spangled  with 
twinkling  stars. 

To-morrow  morning  we  expect  to  be  at  Madras,  but 
the  steamer  will  not  stay  there  many  hours.  There  are 
said  to  be  sixty  children  on  board,  many  with  their  Hindu 
nurses,  who  are  dressed  only  in  cotton  scarfs  wound  round 
their  bodies.  I  should  think  they  would  die  of  pneumonia 
when  they  reached  England.  Many  English  families  are 
returning,  as  they  think  it  impossible  to  raise  children 
in  India.  This  is  a  very  serious  inconvenience,  because 
it  separates  the  families.  The  father  must  stay  to  draw 
his  pay  from  the  Government,  the  children  must  leave  in 
order  to  live  and  be  educated  in  England.  The  mother 
sometimes  sends  the  children  alone,  sometimes  goes  with 
them  and  leaves  her  husband,  either  alternative  being 
ruinous  to  family  life. 

A  ship  like  this  is  like  a  little  world.  The  decks 
are  wide,  broad,  very  clean  and  well  shut  in  by  large  awn- 
ings overhead  and  also  around  the  sides,  so  one  has  no 
glare.  There  is  a  piano  in  the  center  where  some  one  is 
usually  performing.  The  decks  are  filled  with  family 
groups;  the  children  in  the  least  clothes  admissible  are 
all  playing  and  have  toys  innumerable  and  also  velocipedes, 
swings,  skipping  ropes,  etc.  I  must  say  they  seemed  re- 
markably good  and  get  along  very  amicably.  The  mothers 
are  sitting  around  in  steamer  chairs  reading  to  them  or  to 
themselves.  Many  are  in  groups  chatting  and  sewing. 
The  sea  is  as  smooth  as  glass,  there  is  summer  tempera- 
ture, and  one  needs  the   thinnest  attire  possible.     The 


EMMA  J.   BARTOL  219 


ladies,  who  are  nearly  all  English,  have  waists  made  of 
swiss,  tissue,  cambric  or  India  silk  of  different  shades. 

I  enclose  a  blossom  of  one  of  the  most  exquisite  of 
the  exotic  creepers,  one  which  grows  freely  everywhere 
and  of  which  we  never  tire,  the  lovely,  graceful  bougain- 
villea.  It  climbs  to  the  top  of  the  loftiest  trees,  covers 
arbors  and  trellises  and  makes  them  one  blaze  of  glory. 

In  speaking  of  India  silks  I  must  tell  you  a  joke; 
there  are  none  to  be  found  in  India  except  those  im- 
ported from  London  and  Paris.  They  do  manufacture 
silks  here  but  a  different  class  from  those  we  know  as 
India.  They  are  very  rich  and  costly,  shot  with  threads 
of  gold  and  silver.  I  feel  sorely  tempted  to  buy  many 
wonderful  and  strange  things  but  I  cannot  get  them  into 
my  trunk  and  I  refrain  from  sending  them  as  you  would 
have  to  get  them  out  of  the  custom  house  and  pay  duty 
on  them  and  it  would  be  too  much  trouble  and  expense. 
I  should  like  to  send  some  of  the  beautiful  beaten  silver 
and  brass  work. 

I  am  suffering  so  with  the  heat  I  must  go  on  deck 
and  get  some  air. 

March  30th. — We  sighted  Madras  at  daybreak  and 
dropped  anchor  about  half  a  mile  from  town.  As  soon 
as  we  stopped  the  natives  came  alongside  in  boats  and 
swarmed  up  the  companion  way  with  all  kinds  of  mer- 
chandise for  sale  and  pestered  the  life  out  of  us.  "Missey 
buy  very  cheap,  Madras  embroidery  very  fine,  what  you 
give?"  Then  he  asks  four  times  what  it  is  worth  and 
you  say,  "  It  is  too  dear,"  and  walk  away.  He  runs 
after  you  and  says,  "You  no  want  to  buy  ?  I  give  you 
very  cheap,     What  you  give  ?"     After  this  kind  of  play 


220  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

has  been  going  on  for  about  an  hour  he  comes  and  pokes 
the  goods  into  your  arms  and  says,  "  Takee,  takee, 
Missey,  give  what  you  like."  They  had  parroquets, 
stuffed  cobras,  baskets,  chains,  bracelets  made  out  of 
grass,  embroidered  slippers,  muslin,  crepes  and  silks  of 
all  colors,  toys,  puzzles  and  tricks.  They  created  quite 
a  sensation  among  the  passengers. 

I  expected  to  mail  this  at  Madras  and  so  finished, 
but  found  it  would  go  quicker  from  Colombo.  The 
thermometer  never  goes  below  8o°  and  it  is  warm  and 
muggy.  I  must  tell  you  that  a  flying  fish  flew  in  at  an 
open  port-hole,  hit  a  lady  who  was  in  bed,  on  her  fore- 
head, and  was  found  dead  on  the  carpet  in  the  morning. 
This  is  the  truth,  but  I  did  not  see  "  Pharoah's  chariot 
wheels  in  the  Red  Sea,  as  many  travellers  claim  to  have 
done  !" 

At  sunrise  the  next  morning  we  sighted  the  Island 
of  Ceylon,  which  is  about  sixty  miles  to  the  southeast  of 
Hindustan.  Later  our  ship  was  moored  in  the  roads  of 
Colombo,  off  the  southwestern  coast,  the  principal  sea- 
port. Ceylon  is  about  270  miles  long  with  an  average 
width  of  100  miles.  It  has  records  extending  back 
twenty-four  centuries.  It  was  a  stopping  place  for 
traders  in  the  sixth  century  and  was  visited  by  Marco 
Polo  in  the  thirteenth.  We  were  very  desirous  of  visit- 
ing it  but  not  so  anxious  as  was  one  of  our  passengers, 
who  attempted  to  jump  on  shore  before  the  little  boat 
quite  touched  and  who  went  headlong  to  the  bottom  of 
the  sea.      He  was  fished  out  a  wetter  but  a  wiser  man. 

We  went  to  the  Grand  Oriental  Hotel,  which  almost 
paralyzes  the  traveller  coming  upon  it  unexpectedly.      Its 


EMMA  J.   BARTOL  221 


dining  room  seats  300  people  and  when  ships  are  in  from 
a  number  of  foreign  ports  the  scene  is  indescribable- 
The  great  veranda  overlooking  the  sea  is  crowded  with 
vendors  of  every  color,  nationality  and  variety  of  dress, 
who  almost  force  their  wares  upon  the  half-frightened 
visitor.  These  consist  largely  of  pearls  and  the  semi- 
precious gems  which  are  found  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Ceylon.  The  clothes  of  the  traders  in  the  market  place 
range  from  voluminous  trousers  and  jacket  to  nearly 
nothing,  while  some  of  the  men  wear  skirts  and  fasten  up 
their  long  hair  with  an  ornamental  comb.  It  is  almost 
impossible  to  tell  the  men  from  the  women,  while  the 
children  wear  no  clothes  at  all.  Meat  is  an  almost  un- 
known article  of  food,  but  we  especially  enjoyed  the  curry, 
which  we  found  owed  its  delicious  flavor  to  its  being  made 
with  the  milk  of  the  cocoanut. 

Ceylon  has  belonged  to  Great  Britain  since  18 15  and 
has  now  about  3,000,000  inhabitants.  It  is  purely  an 
agricultural  country  and  we  visited  the  various  places 
where  rice,  tobacco,  coffee,  cotton,  cinchona,  cinnamon, 
nutmegs,  cocoa  and  the  many  forms  of  the  cocoa  trees 
were  produced,  and  secured  some  interesting  specimens. 
All  other  products,  however,  are  gradually  giving  way  to 
tea,  many  millions  of  pounds  now  being  exported  every 
year. 

We  made  an  uncomfortable  journey  of  five  hours  by 
rail,  at  fifteen  miles  an  hour,  to  the  ancient  capital  of 
Kandy,  or  Candy,  in  the  interior.  The  train  runs  through 
picturesque  scenery — quaint  cottages  surrounded  by  palms 
and  bananas,  peasants  in  bright  red  and  yellow  garments, 
black    buffaloes    standing    knee-deep    in    the    swamps — 


222  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

then  gradually  climbs  through  jungles  and  forests  up  the 
steep  sides  of  the  mountain  until  it  creeps  along  a  sheer 
precipice  thousands  of  feet  above  the  level  of  the  plains. 
Kandy  consists  of  a  group  of  small  villages  beautifully 
situated  on  the  shores  of  a  lake,  surrounded  by  hills  on 
which  are  the  bungalows  of  the  tea  planters  and  govern- 
ment officials.  All  along  the  lanes  may  be  gathered 
masses  of  the  most  exquisite  flowers  of  the  tropics.  The 
hedges  are  bright  with  lantanas,  poinsettas  and  passion 
flowers.  The  residence  of  the  British  Governor  is  the 
finest  building  in  Ceylon,  but  there  is  little  of  interest  in 
the  town  itself  except  its  Temple  of  the  Sacred  Tooth  of 
Buddha.  This  temple  is  a  small  building  hideously 
decorated ;  from  the  center  of  its  tower  hangs  a  silver 
bell  and  under  this,  in  a  golden  and  bejewelled  shrine, 
is  the  precious  tooth,  one  inch  thick  and  two  inches  long. 
From  India,  Japan  and  China  come  pilgrims  to  pay 
tribute  to  this  holy  relic. 

The  Government  Botanical  Gardens  are  entered 
through  an  avenue  of  India  rubber  trees  ioo  feet  high, 
their  crown  of  glossy  leaves  spreading  out  in  an  immense 
circle  fifty  or  sixty  feet  in  diameter  and  their  roots  crawl- 
ing over  the  ground  like  immense  snakes.  Within  the 
garden  are  enormous  palms  of  every  species,  thickets  of 
giant  bamboos  ioo  feet  in  height,  "jack  fruit"  trees, each 
fruit  weighing  fifty  or  sixty  pounds,  and  unrivalled 
botanical  wonders  of  many  kinds.  The  gardens  also  are 
full  of  poisonous  snakes  and  leeches  which  have  been 
known  to  fasten  upon  a  sleeping  victim  and  "  suck  " 
him  to  death. 

To  the  north  of  Kandy  is  the  ancient  Buddhist  city 
of  Anuradhapura,  which  was  the  capital   from  400   B.  C. 


EMMA  J.   BARTOL  223 

to  700  A.  D.  It  is  now  but  a  mass  of  ruins  in  an  almost 
impenetrable  jungle  and  is  seldom  visited.  There  are 
other  ruins  the  origin  of  which  is  lost  in  antiquity.  After 
all  these  centuries  of  occupation  a  large  part  of  the  island 
is  still  uninhabited  and  the  forests  abound  in  wild  ele- 
phants, tiger  cats,  leopards,  jackals,  wild  boars  and  other 
dangerous  animals. 

On  the  way  to  Yokohama  we  landed  at  the  little 
Island  of  Penang,  only  eleven  by  sixteen  miles  in  extent, 
simply  the  wooded  top  of  a  mountain.  It  is  separated 
from  the  Malay  Peninsula  by  a  narrow  strait  of  three  or 
four  miles  and  has  a  considerable  export  trade  of  spices, 
cocoanuts,  etc.  The  mangostine,  a  delicious  fruit  the 
size  of  a  small  apple,  grows  here  to  perfection  but  will 
not  bear  transporting.  We  rode  through  the  streets  of 
Georgetown,  the  capital,  among  the  swarms  of  Malay  in- 
habitants, and  visited  the  bazars.  Some  large  stories 
were  told  us  of  the  venomous  reptiles  which  come  from 
the  jungles  right  into  the  town,  and  a  house  was  pointed 
out  whose  master  coming  home  one  day  found  in  his 
parlor  two  huge  boa  constrictors  waiting  to  give  him  a 
warm  embrace.  It  was  not  quite  clear  how  they  got  into 
the  house. 

We  steamed  down  through  the  Strait  of  Malacca  to 
Singapore,  the  mountain  ranges  of  the  peninsula  on  our 
left,  the  picturesque  Island  of  Sumatra  on  our  right,  a 
voyage  of  two  days  but  not  out  of  sight  of  land.  We 
were  now  on  exactly  the  opposite  side  of  the  globe  from 
our  own  people,  and  when  it  was  high  noon  with  us  they 
were  wrapped  in  the  slumbers  of  midnight.  Singapore 
is  on  an  island  of  the  same  name,  the  largest  of  a  little 


224  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

group  off  the  extreme  southern  point  of  the  Malay  Pen- 
insula and  separated  from  it  by  a  strait  at  some  points 
only  a  quarter  of  a  mile  wide.  These  islands  are  cov- 
ered, except  along  the  shores,  with  a  thick  jungle  and  on 
the  smaller  ones  the  inhabitants  are  semi-savases.  The 
climate  all  the  year  is  that  of  summer  and  tropical  flowers 
are  constantly  in  bloom,  but  strange  to  say  it  is  very 
healthy.  The  city  of  Singapore  is  the  great  center  of 
the  Eastern  trade  and  its  commerce  is  immense.  The 
products  of  all  that  part  of  the  world  find  their  way  to 
this  great  shipping  port,  which  is  free  to  the  vessels  of 
all  nations.  The  best  part  of  the  town  is  laid  out  in 
regular  streets,  the  houses  are  substantially  built  of  brick, 
there  are  good  public  buildings,  hotels,  churches,  etc. 
Among  the  last  is  a  large  and  splendid  Chinese  pagoda. 
The  part  of  the  town  occupied  by  the  Malays  is  a  scene 
of  filth  and  squalor.  American  and  European  residents 
live  in  handsome  bungalows  in  the  suburbs  and  number 
but  a  few  hundred.  In  the  Chinese  gardens  are  canals 
filled  with  the  lotus  and  Victoria  Regia  in  full  bloom. 

From  Singapore  we  dropped  down  to  the  important 
island  of  Java  and  were  now  below  the  equator.  For 
the  first  time  in  many  days  we  passed  out  of  British 
dominions,  as  Java  is  the  principal  seat  of  the  Dutch 
power  in  the  far  East.  This  island  of  less  than  50,000 
square  miles,  is  traversed  its  entire  length  by  two  moun- 
tain ranges  containing  many  volcanoes,  active  and  ex- 
tinct, varying  in  height  from  6,000  to  12,000  feet,  and 
visible  at  sea  as  far  as  sight  extends.  Many  rivers  flow 
down  their  sides  and  water  beautiful  and  fertile  valleys 
whose  vegetation  is  unrivalled  in  luxuriance.      The  forests 


EMMA  J.  BARTOL  225 

are  remarkable  for  the  height  and  size  of  the  trees,  many 
of  them  furnishing  excellent  timber.  The  houses  of  the 
natives  are  built  of  bamboo  and  they  live  chiefly  on  rice. 
The  Javanese  are  a  small,  yellow  race,  but  superior  in 
character  to  the  other  Malays.  They  are  Mohammedans 
in  religion.  The  island  has  many  ruins  of  large  temples 
and  public  buildings  of  great  antiquity.  Batavia,  the 
port  of  commerce,  is  built  on  marshy  ground  with  numer- 
ous canals  and  we  soon  left  it  and  went  to  Buitenzorg, 
thirty-five  miles  away,  which  is  now  the  seat  of  govern- 
ment and  the  residence  of  the  Governor-general.  Here 
we  remained  five  days  and  had  an  experience  of  the 
storms  which  are  so  frequent  in  regions  about  the  equator, 
for  there  was  a  continual  succession  of  these,  accom- 
panied by  the  most  frightful  thunder  and  lightning  that 
one  could  imagine.  The  fact  that  our  baggage  was  lost 
added  to  our  discomfort.  We  slipped  out  between 
storms  to  the  bazars,  markets,  and  the  noted  botanical 
gardens,  but  were  quite  ready  to  board  our  ship  and  re- 
turn to  Singapore. 

We  sailed  on  May  5  for  Hong  Kong,  threading  our 
way  in  and  out  among  the  innumerable  islands  in  the 
China  Sea.  Among  our  passengers  were  Kyrle  Bellew 
and  Mrs.  James  Brown  Potter.  There  was  also  the 
English  lady  going  to  join  her  lover  and  be  married, 
one  never  fails  to  meet  her  on  ships  bound  for  China 
and  Japan.  The  weather  was  intensely  hot,  everybody 
was  too  languid  to  speak  or  move,  and  we  rejoiced  to 
sight  Hong  Kong  on  the  fifth  day. 


226  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

The  approach  to  the  rocky  island  of  Hong  Kong, 
which  lies  at  the  mouth  of  Canton  River,  is  most  pic- 
turesque. The  great  harbor  is  crowded  with  shipping  of 
every  description,  men  of  war,  merchant  craft,  ju»ks, 
barges  and  little  boats.  Some  of  these  vessels  are  of 
great  size  and  fantastic  form  and  most  grotesquely  painted, 
while  gay  flags  and  streamers  fly  from  the  masts. 

This  island,  when  ceded  to  Great  Britain  in  1841, 
was  a  barren  spot  inhabited  chiefly  by  fishermen  and 
stone  cutters  and  was  the  rendezvous  of  pirates  and 
smugglers.  Now  it  is  perhaps  the  greatest  commercial 
port  of  China.  It  is  about  ten  by  seven  or  eight  miles 
in  area  and  is  separated  from  the  main  land  by  a  narrow 
neck  of  water.  One  seldom  hears  the  name  of  the  town 
Victoria,  which  stretches  for  several  miles  along  the  coast, 
the  only  place  where  it  can  get  a  foothold  as  the  pre- 
cipitous sides  of  the  island  extend  almost  to  the  water's 
edge.  The  houses  are  large  and  substantial,  being  built 
of  granite  or  white  freestone  to  resist  the  frequent  shocks 
of  earthquakes.  They  rise  tier  above  tier,  the  topmost 
one  about  400  feet  above  the  shore,  as  there  is  scarcely 
a  level  acre  on  the  island.  Broad  roads  lined  with  trees 
lead  up  to  these  residences,  which  are  surrounded  with 
tropical  gardens.  The  Government  House  is  a  hand- 
some structure  overlooking  the  Public  Gardens,  and 
there  are  a   number  of  fine  churches,  schools,  clubs  and 


'J 
z 
o 

o 
z 
o 

X 


EMM  J  J.   BARTOL  227 


public  buildings.     The  clock  tower  is  a  feature  of  the 
place.     A  broad  granite  sea  wall  extends  for  miles. 

We  carried  letters  of  introduction  which  at  once 
brought  us  an  invitation  to  dinner.  As  Hong  Kong  is 
really  an  English  colony  its  social  features  are  distinctive 
and  there  is  much  ceremony. 

We  ascended  Victoria  Peak,  carried  in  sedan  chairs, 
the  journey  consuming  over  an  hour,  and  from  its  alti- 
tude of  over  1,800  feet  enjoyed  a  magnificent  view.  We 
also  visited  the  Colonial  Prison  where  hundreds  of  crim- 
inals of  all  nationalities  are  confined.  The  smells  of  the 
Chinese  theatre,  where  we  tried  to  attend  a  performance, 
proved  too  much  for  us. 

We  started  for  Canton  in  a  pretty  American  steamer 
and  to  our  surprise  the  boat  seemed  prepared  for  a  battle, 
hung  all  around  with  cutlasses,  muskets  and  hatchets. 
On  inquiry  we  were  told  that  once  a  gang  of  cut-throats 
had  murdered  and  robbed  all  the  passengers  and  crew 
and  taken  possession  of  the  boat,  so  that  now  they  lock 
all  the  hatchways  and  keep  in  a  state  of  preparation. 
We  greatly  doubted  this  story.  We  were  met  at  Canton 
by  a  friend  who  had  provided  a  competent  guide,  ap- 
propriately named  "  Ah  Cum,"  and  we  started  off  in 
four  chairs,  with  twelve  bearers  to  view  the  city.  The 
next  day  we  went  with  "  Ah  Cum"  to  look  at  embroid- 
eries and  made  extensive  purchases,  especially  of  screens. 
In  the  minds  of  most  people  China  is  associated  with  the 
old  pictures  in  the  school  books,  representing  a  man 
bearing  a  pole  with  a  basket  of  rats  at  one  end  and  a 
basket  of  puppies  at  the  other.  We  were  reminded  of 
this  when  we   visited  the  butcher   shops  and  saw   dogs 


228  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

hanging  upon  the  shambles,  whose  carcasses  looked  very 
much  like  other  meat. 

Until  the  last  seventy-five  years  Canton  was  prac- 
tically all  of  China  known  to  the  outside  world,  and  up 
to  a  still  more  recent  period  foreigners  were  allowed  to 
transact  business  only  along  the  river's  edge  outside  the 
walls.  Its  gates  were  finally  opened  by  the  English  and 
it  is  now  one  of  the  greatest  commercial  emporiums  of 
Asia.  It  is  situated  on  Pearl  River,  seventy  miles  from 
its  mouth,  has  more  than  a  million  inhabitants  and  is  one 
of  the  oldest  and  wealthiest  cities  of  China.  It  is  also 
one  of  the  worst  and  is  the  favorite  resort  for  criminals 
of  all  kinds.  The  streets  are  too  narrow  for  wheeled 
vehicles.  The  houses  of  the  rich  are  magnificently  fur- 
nished, while  tens  of  thousands  of  the  inhabitants  are 
born  and  live  and  die  in  squalid  boats  on  the  river. 
There  are  hundreds  of  temples  and  pagodas  but  most  of 
them  are  falling  into  decay.  The  people  are  wholly 
given  to  commerce  and  the  shops  are  splendid  beyond 
description. 

Our  first  landing  in  Japan  was  made  at  Nagasaki, 
where  we  went  on  shore  in  small  covered  boats.  O, 
what  a  change  from  India  and  China  !  Everywhere 
cleanliness,  refinement  and  courtesy,  the  pretty  cottages 
surrounded  by  verandas  enclosed  with  Venetian  blinds, 
the  people  neatly  dressed,  the  atmosphere  one  of  com- 
fort and  safety.  We  had  tea  in  a  bamboo  house  in  a 
quaint  little  garden  and  wandered  at  our  ease  among  the 
interesting  shops. 

The  most  beautiful  voyage  in  the  world  is  said  to 
be  the  one  through  the  Inland  Sea  of  Japan  where  there 


KOBE 


[A  FAN 


EMMA  J.   BARTOL  229 

are  3,000  islands  of  every  imaginable  shape,  some  of 
them  mountain  cones  rising  to  a  height  of  900  feet, 
others  with  green  valleys  and  softly  rolling  hillsides. 
We  lingered  for  two  weeks  at  Kobe,  Hiogo  and  Kyota, 
most  charmingly  situated  places.  Surrounded  by  moun- 
tains they  are  a  paradise  of  bamboo  and  plantain  groves, 
lotus  ponds  and  long  shaded  walks.  We  visited  a  tea 
garden  with  a  celebrated  waterfall,  of  which  I  made  a 
sketch,  and  went  with  a  large  party  to  see  the  famous 
dancing  Kagura  priestesses,  inspected  the  Mikado's 
Temple,  and  then  the  porcelain  factories,  where  I  pur- 
chased some  Cloisonne'  ware  for  which  the  place  is  noted. 
We  made  an  excursion  to  Lake  Biwa,  where  there  is  a 
fir  tree  said  to  be  2,000  years  old.  The  immense 
branches  are  upheld  by  posts  and  great  care  is  taken  of 
it.  At  Otsu  we  halted  while  the  scene  of  the  attempted 
assassination  of  the  Russian  Prince,  the  present  Czar,  was 
pointed  out. 

We  arrived  at  Yokohama  on  Sunday,  June  21,  and 
were  rejoiced  to  see  the  Stars  and  Stripes  floating  from  a 
number  of  ships  in  the  great  harbor.  The  little  boats 
swarmed  around  us,  propelled  with  sculls  by  men  and 
women  wearing  practically  no  clothing,  and  we  were 
landed  in  the  midst  of  a  crowd  of  coolie  porters  in  almost 
the  same  condition.  Perhaps  nowhere  on  the  globe  are 
the  shops  so  enticing  as  here,  with  their  silks,  embroid- 
eries, bronzes,  porcelain  and  exquisite  curios.  It  has 
been  called  the  foreign  mercantile  settlement  of  Yeddo, 
which  is  seventeen  miles  away,  and  it  extends  along  the 
shore  for  several  miles.  The  foreign  legations  were 
located  on  this  Island   of  Nipon  in   early  days  for  pur- 


230  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

poses  of  safety,  as  they  were  fortified  against  attacks  from 
the  main  land,  but  now  a  foreigner  feels  as  safe  from  at- 
tack as  in  his  own  country.  It  is  a  pleasure  to  sojourn 
among  these  polite,  amiable  and  altogether  agreeable 
people. 

We  met  friends  from  Philadelphia  and  Boston  who 
made  our  stay  most  pleasant.  One  of  the  ladies  had 
made  a  valuable  collection  of  1,000  tea  pots,  all  different. 
Another  had  collected  7,000  rare  and  beautiful  butter- 
flies. The  chrysanthemums  were  in  full  bloom  and  only 
one  who  has  visited  Japan  at  this  season  can  understand 
their  wealth  of  beauty.  We  made  many  excursions  by 
jinrickisha,  by  horse  cars  and  by  train.  One  of  these 
was  to  Kamakura  and  the  Daibutsu  Temples,  where  we 
saw  the  famous  Bronze  Buddha,  50  feet  high  and  600 
years  old,  the  great  temple  of  Hachiman,  dating  back  to 
the  twelfth  century,  a  beautiful  new  temple  noted  for  its 
lacquer  work,  many  spots  famous  in  Japanese  history, 
and  exquisite  views  down  long  avenues  to  the  sea. 

On  another  day  we  went  to  Hakone  and  Myan- 
oshita.  On  the  way  we  stopped  at  the  celebrated  Ojigoku, 
or  Big  Hell,  where  subterranean  fires  send  boiling  sul- 
phur springs  to  the  surface,  and  one  needs  to  tread  care- 
fully. Hakone  is  a  lovely  village  on  a  lake  with  the 
Emperor's  summer  palace  at  one  end  and  at  the  other  a 
glorious  view  of  Fujiyama,  the  Sacred  Mountain.  This 
magnificent  peak,  12,100  feet  in  height,  is  an  extinct 
volcano  and  is  still  called  the  "  mountain  of  fire,"  though 
its  top  is  covered  with  snow  most  of  the  year.  It  may 
be  seen  for  a  hundred  miles  out  at  sea.  On  the  return 
we  stopped   at   the   noted    sulphur  baths  of  Ashinoyu. 


< 


EMMA  J.   BARTOL  231 

The  excursions  to  points  of  interest  are  almost  endless 
and  on  most  of  them  one  passes  through  long  lanes  of 
the  tall  and  graceful  bamboo.  We  were  told  that  at  cer- 
tain seasons  the  march  of  caterpillars  spreads  devastation 
and  actually  impedes  travel.  The  Japanese  are  very 
fond  of  fish  and  at  many  places  of  resort  are  ponds  well 
stocked  with  them,  so  that  the  guest  may  actually  see  his 
order  caught  fresh  from  the  water. 

Tokyo,  with  its  1,500,000  inhabitants,  is  one  of  the 
great  cities  of  the  world.  One  ought  to  have  several 
weeks  for  sightseeing  here  instead  of  the  few  days  which 
are  all  most  tourists  can  spare.  This  is  the  capital  of 
Japan  and  is  said  to  cover  as  much  ground  as  London 
on  account  of  its  many  parks  and  canals.  It  seems  to 
be  set  in  the  midst  of  orchards  which  in  the  spring  are  a 
mass  of  bloom.  Its  two  largest  parks  contain  beautiful 
groves,  lotus  ponds,  tea  houses  and  several  splendid 
tombs  and  shrines.  There  are  3,300  temples  in  the  city, 
3,000  of  these  Buddhist.  The  Emperor's  Castle  covers 
as  much  ground  as  a  small  city  and  has  miles  of  moats 
and  ramparts.  The  bazars  here  are  of  small  interest 
compared  to  those  of  Yokohama  but  the  visitor  should 
not  fail  to  see  the  fish  and  flower  markets. 

From  here  also  the  excursions  are  many,  the  one  to 
Nikko  being  perhaps  the  most  important.  A  Japanese 
proverb  says,  "  Until  you  have  seen  Nikko  do  not  say 
1  splendid.'  "  It  lies  between  Yokohama  and  Tokyo 
and  books  on  Japan  devote  pages  to  descriptions  of  it. 
A  single  paragraph  will  illustrate  :  "  Nature,  Art  and 
History  have  been  alike  prodigal  to  Nikko.  It  is 
throned  in  the  midst   of  mountains,  forests  and   solemn 


232  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

magnificent  groves.  Right  through  it  courses  the  fierce 
mountain  river  Daiyagawa,  spanned  by  the  sacred  bridge 
with  its  perfect  arch  and  glittering  red  lacquer.  In  every 
street,  in  every  hollow,  runs  a  rill  of  water  clear  as  glass. 
Its  glades  fairly  glow  with  scarlet  azaleas  as  large  as  holly- 
hocks, and  its  woods  hold  thickets  of  hydrangeas.  It 
contains  the  most  magnificent  Buddhist  temples  in  the 
world,  glorious  mortuary  shrines  and  tombs,  exquisite 
gardens,  waterfalls,  etc."  We  will  say  in  a  word  that 
one  cannot  exaggerate  the  beauties  of  Japan  and  let  it  go 
at  that. 

We  spent  seventeen  days  at  T5kyo  and  then  re- 
turned to  Yokohama.  Here  we  received  many  courtesies 
from  Admiral  and  Mrs.  Belknap,  the  Admiral's  ship 
being  stationed  in  the  harbor.  They  invited  us  to  dine 
and  spend  the  evening  ;  the  next  day  they  took  us  for  a 
ride  and  in  the  evening  to  see  the  Geisha  Girls.  One 
day  the  Admiral  gave  us  a  trip  in  his  steam  launch 
around  Mississippi  Bay  and  Treaty  Point,  and  in  the 
evening  we  had  a  drive  about  Old  Yokohama.  Finally 
on  Sept.  i  they  accompanied  us  on  board  the  steamer 
"  China  "  and  saw  us  safely  off  on  our  long  voyage  across 
the  Pacific. 

The  journey  was  without  any  striking  incident,  as 
the  weather  was  fine  all  the  way.  In  mid-ocean  we  had 
that  peculiar  experience  of  "  losing  a  day."  On  Monday 
the  Captain  insisted  it  was  still  Sunday,  and  I  never  was 
able  to  straighten  it  out  in  my  diary.  Our  ship  made  a 
record  trip  and  on  Sept.  15  we  stepped  on  shore  at  San 
Francisco.  I  had  visited  California  many  years  before, 
but  my  companions  never  had  been  there,  and  so  we  had 


E.  J.    B.    IN  JAPANESE  COSTUME 


EMMA  J.  BARTOL  233 

some  pleasant  trips  in  the  Golden  State.  We  went  down 
through  the  beautiful  Santa  Clara  valley  to  San  Jose, 
spent  a  night  at  the  famous  Lick  Observatory  on  top  of 
Mt.  Hamilton,  and  stopped  for  a  few  days  at  the  world- 
renowned  Hotel  del  Monte  at  Monterey.  We  took  the 
seventeen-mile  drive  along  the  shore  and  saw  the  old 
cypress  trees,  the  sea  lions  and  the  great  flocks  of  sea 
birds.  Then  we  went  to  the  seaside  resort  of  Santa  Cruz 
for  a  short  stay  and  finally  back  to  San  Francisco.  On 
the  way  we  passed  through  miles  of  peach,  apricot,  prune 
and  olive  orchards,  stopped  at  Palo  Alto  to  see  the  noted 
Stanford  stock-farm  and  visit  the  great  university  which 
had  just  been  opened. 

As  we  were  not  yet  tired  of  travelling  we  took  the 
longest  way  home  and  went  up  to  Portland,  Oregon, 
stopping  en  route  to  visit  the  noble  Mt.  Shasta.  We 
did  the  regulation  sight-seeing  in  and  around  Portland, 
saw  the  sun  rise  and  set  over  the  magnificent  mountains, 
went  to  Tacoma,  then  by  steamer  for  Seattle — more 
sightseeing — steamer  again  for  Victoria,  another  for  Van- 
couver, and  at  last  we  were  safe  on  board  the  Canadian 
Pacific  Railroad  and  bound  for  home.  We  had  been  in 
thirty-one  steamers  and  nearly  one  hundred  hotels  on  our 
trip  around  the  world.  As  we  made  this  last  part  of  the 
long  journey  we  were  unanimous  in  declaring  that  no- 
where had  we  beheld  more  glorious  scenery  than  this 
great  transcontinental  railroad  passes  through — the  grand 
canyons  and  gorges  at  the  western  extremity,  the  long 
bridges  across  the  wide,  rushing  rivers  hundreds  of  feet 
below,  the  lofty  mountains,  their  great  glaciers  sparkling 
in  the  sunlight,  the  miles  of  gloomy  pine  forests.     And 


234  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

then  as  we  came  farther  east  there  were  the  lovely  val- 
leys, the  prairies,  the  limitless  farms,  the  pleasant  villages, 
and  at  last  the  big,  beautiful  modern  city  of  Minneapolis, 
which  made  those  of  the  Old  World  seem  like  a  dream 
of  the  buried  past. 

On  the  third  day  of  November,  1891,  we  entered 
the  station  at  Philadelphia  which  we  had  left  just  a  year- 
and-a-half  before. 


EMM  J  J.   BARTOL  235 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 

On  my  return  home  to  settle  down  for  probably  the 
remainder  of  my  life  I  decided  to  remodel  and  redecorate 
my  house  and  greatly  enjoyed  the  months  that  were 
given  to  this  work.  I  myself  painted  the  tiles  for  the 
mantelpieces,  having  in  one  room  a  historical  scheme, 
another  of  flowers,  another  of  birds,  another  marine.  I 
also  decorated  with  my  own  brush  several  of  the  rooms. 
Weeks  were  spent  in  finishing  up  the  many  sketches  and 
water  colors  I  had  made  on  my  journey,  and  in  framing 
and  hanging  them  and  the  choicest  of  the  photographs 
and  other  pictures  I  had  collected. 

I  stopped,  in  January,  to  attend  the  National 
Woman  Suffrage  Convention  in  Washington  with  my 
friend  of  many  years'  standing,  Miss  Susan  B.  Anthony- 
By  the  last  of  February  I  was  prepared  to  gather  about 
me  my  children  and  grand  children  for  a  "  housewarm- 
ing  "  in  the  renovated  home,  and  then  I  was  quite  ready 
for  a  trip  to  Asheville,  N.  C.  In  June  I  went  with  my 
daughter,  Mrs.  Brazier,  and  her  family  to  their  summer 
home  at  Kennebunkport,  on  the  coast  of  Maine,  and 
later  visited  a  number  of  other  New  England  resorts,  ar- 
riving home  in  September. 

In  looking  over  my  diaries  for  the  years  between 
1 891  and  1895  I  ^nd  tne  unimportant  records  of  a  busy 
life  at  home — with  an  endless  round  of  domestic  duties 
which  are  increased  instead  of  lessened  by  a  large  number 
of  servants — of  club  meetings  and  the  meetings  of  the 
boards  of  the  many  institutions  with   which    I    was   con- 


2j6  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

nected,  and  of  various  social  diversions — lectures,  thea- 
tres, dinners,  calls,  etc.  Interspersed  is  a  continued  suc- 
cession of  brief  trips  to  the  South  in  mid-winter,  to 
Atlantic  City,  Lakewood  or  other  nearby  places  in  the 
spring ;  and  to  seaside  or  mountains  in  summer.  In 
September,  1893,  I  spent  two  interesting  weeks  in 
Chicago  visiting  the  Columbian  Exposition. 

All  through  the  year  1895  mv  health  was  very  pre- 
carious and  I  was  under  the  doctor's  care  much  of  the 
time.  February  and  March  were  passed  in  Florida,  at 
St.  Augustine,  Palm  Beach  and  Ormond.  I  spent  part 
of  the  summer  at  The  Halcyon,  Millbrook,  N.  Y.,  and 
then  went  to  Lenox,  Mass.,  both  most  beautiful  and 
healthful  places,  but  I  seemed  to  receive  no  benefit. 
Then  I  went  to  the  Oriental  Hotel  on  Coney  Island  for 
awhile  and  later  to  Asbury  Park,  but  I  was  glad  when 
the  end  of  warm  weather  permitted  me  to  return  to  my 
own  home.  As  winter  approached,  partly  because  of  my 
health  and  partly  from  restlessness  and  the  strong  desire 
for  travel,  I  determined  on  another  trip  around  the  world. 
As  I  was  now  in  my  75th  year  I  knew  that  my  children 
would  strongly  oppose  the  idea  and  therefore  I  simply 
announced  that  I  was  going  to  try  the  climate  of  Cali- 
fornia, which  they  all  approved.  I  arranged  my  busi- 
ness for  a  long  absence,  put  my  home  in  charge  of  a 
housekeeper  of  many  years'  standing  and,  taking  my 
maid,  I  started  on  December  12  for  San  Diego.  By  the 
15th  we  had  left  all  traces  of  winter  behind  and  on  the 
1 6th  we  arrived  at  our  destination  and  were  soon  delight- 
fully settled  at  the  Hotel  Florence. 

I  have  visited  most  of  the  countries  of  the  civilized 
world,  but  if  I  had  no  interests  to  keep  me  in  the  East  I 


EMMA   J.  BARTOL  237 

should  want  to  spend  the  rest  of  my  days  in  Southern 
California.  The  air  is  soft  but  dry,  clear  and  exhilarating, 
blowing  from  the  mountains  on  one  side  and  the  ocean 
on  the  other  ;  the  scenery  is  magnificent,  and  to  the  lover 
of  trees,  shrubs,  vines  and  flowers  it  is  a  veritable  Paradise. 
Here  I  spent  Christmas,  attending  a  dance  in  the  eve- 
ning, the  ball  room  a  bower  of  carnations,  roses,  lilies  and 
myriads  of  other  lovely  and  fragrant  blossoms.  I  visited 
friends  at  Coronado,  went  into  old  Mexico,  had  many 
charming  drives  and  spent  one  of  the  most  delightful 
winters  of  my  life.  On  March  9  I  went  to  Pasadena 
for  a  week  among  the  orange  groves  and  gardens.  We 
visited  the  old  Mission  and  other  interesting  points  and 
passed  a  day  and  night  on  Mt.  Lowe  and  Mt.  Echo, 
where  we  saw  the  wonders  of  the  heavens  through  the 
great  telescope  and  of  the  earth  beneath  us  as  we  looked 
down  from  these  lofty  heights. 

From  San  Francisco  I  telegraphed  my  family  that  I 
was  sailing  on  the  steamer  "  Belgic  "  for  Honolulu,  and 
rather  enjoyed  thinking  of  the  surprise  this  message 
would  create,  and  the  still  greater  one  they  would  have 
when  they  received  my  letter  telling  them  I  had  started 
on  a  trip  around  the  world  ! 

We  sailed  out  of  the  Golden  Gate  in  a  heavy  fog 
March  21,  1896.  Conditions  on  the  ship  were  not 
pleasant,  the  sea  was  very  rough,  and  it  was  rather  a 
dilapidated  crowd  of  passengers  that  gladly  stepped  on 
shore  at  Honolulu  on  the  afternoon  of  March  28.  After 
some  trouble  I  secured  a  large,  comfortable  room  with  a 


2j8  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A   TRAVELLER 

fine  view  and  found  much  to  interest  me  in  our  six 
weeks'  sojourn  in  the  middle  of  the  Pacific. 

Those  of  us  who  have  passed  three-score  and  ten 
recollect  the  thrilling  stories  told  us  in  our  childhood  of 
the  Sandwich  Islands,  discovered  by  the  intrepid  Captain 
Cook  in  1778,  whose  inhabitants  ate  up  the  early  mis- 
sionaries that  were  sent  there  to  convert  them  from  idol- 
atry to  Christianity.  All  that  seems  very  far  away  as 
one  walks  the  streets  of  the  pleasant  and  peaceful  capital, 
Honolulu, a  comparatively  modern  city, so  far  as  houses  and 
improvements  go,  with  about  as  many  white  as  colored  peo- 
ple on  the  streets,  large  hotels,  good  stores  and  markets, 
and  as  much  safety  as  the  traveller  would  find  at  home.  At 
this  time  the  native  Queen  had  been  deposed  and  Presi- 
dent Sanford  B.  Dole,  an  American,  was  ruling  in  her 
place.  It  is  everlasting  summer  here,  snow  and  frost  are 
unknown,  birds  of  brilliant  plumage  fly  among  the  trees, 
flowers  bloom  in  profusion  all  the  year  and  the  sea  bath- 
ing is  delightful  at  all  seasons.  Every  species  of  tropical 
fruits  and  vegetables  may  be  raised  but  the  production 
of  sugar  is  becoming  one  of  the  chief  industries. 

Only  eight  of  these  twelve  islands  are  inhabited,  the 
rest  being  but  barren  rocks.  On  Molokai  is  the  noted 
leper  settlement.  All  of  them  contain  high  mountain 
peaks  and  there  are  numerous  active  and  extinct  vol- 
canoes. Kilauea  and  Mauna  Loa  are  the  most  famous 
of  those  which  are  still  active,  both  on  Hawaii  Island, 
and  to  see  them  we  went  by  steamer  to  its  principal  town, 
Hilo,  more  than  a  day's  trip.  We  started  for  the  crater 
in  a  stage  coach  at  8  o'clock  in  the  morning,  ten  men 
and  two  women,  and  all  day  we  climbed  upward  through 


3 


O 

X 

< 
< 


EMMA  J.   BARTOL  239 

a  tropical  forest ;  the  great  tree  ferns  with  their  bronze 
trunks  and  spreading  tops,  orchids  in  profusion,  mag- 
nolias, roses,  jasmine,  surrounded  us — a  perfect  wilder- 
ness of  beauty.  Through  all  these  jungles  there  was  the 
comfortable  feeling  that  no  wild  animals  or  poisonous 
snakes  would  be  encountered.  We  spent  the  night  at 
the  Volcano  House,  4,000  feet  above  sea  level.  The 
next  morning  as  we  were  eating  breakfast  the  landlord 
ushered  a  lady  into  the  dining  room  with  a  great  flourish 
and  exclaimed  in  a  loud  voice,  "  Ladies  and  gentlemen, 
Miss  Kate  Field  ! '  She  was  greatly  embarrassed,  as 
she  was  in  a  costume  for  riding  horseback  and  evidently 
had  not  anticipated  such  publicity.  Only  a  short  time 
after  this  her  sad  death  occurred  at  Honolulu. 

The  next  day  we  went  on  horseback  down  into  the 
crater  of  ashes  and  crumbling  lava  till  the  ground  became 
too  hot  to  stand  upon  and  we  were  enveloped  in  sul- 
phurous steam  and  smoke,  while  below  us  was  the  molten 
lake  bubbling  and  seething  and  occasionally  bursting  into 
flames,  a  weird  but  splendid  sight. 

When  I  began  writing  these  recollections  of  my 
travels  I  was  surprised  and  disappointed  to  find  that  ap- 
parently not  one  of  the  hundreds  of  letters  which  I  had 
written  home  had  been  preserved,  and  therefore  I  have 
only  my  memory  and  scattered  data  from  which  to  draw. 
I  found,  however,  that  my  son  George  and  my  niece, 
Harriet  A.  Curtis,  had  laid  aside  a  few  letters  and  postals 
which  I  had  sent  them  on  my  second  tour  around  the 
world,  and  although  they  are  but  fragmentary  I  will  use 


240  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

them,  hoping  they  will  give  a  little  more  of  the  personal 
touch  to  the  book. 


Honolulu,  April  2,  1896. 

"  I  hail  you  on  my  75th  natal  day.  I  am  sitting  in 
a  large  veranda  open  all  around.  The  mangoes  are  nod- 
ding in  the  soft  breeze  before  the  windows  ;  the  bread 
fruit  opposite  invites  me  to  take  green  rolls  for  break- 
fast ;  the  peaceful  bamboo  nods  at  me  from  the  other 
side,  and  the  fragrant  frangipani  wafts  perfume  all  around. 
A  huge  crystal  vase  on  the  table  is  filled  with  gold  fish. 
A  gorgeous  bougainvilla  in  all  its  splendor  of  color  is 
dropping  gracefully  from  a  tree  on  the  left,  while  a  hedge 
of  the  brilliant  hibiscus  extends  down  to  the  street.  The 
Hawaiian  flag  floats  lazily  from  a  government  building. 
Minah  birds  and  wild  doves  enliven  the  air." 


Honolulu,  May  1,  1896. 

As  you  have  not  been  here  you  have  still  some- 
thing to  live  for  and  much  of  interest  to  see.  The 
scenery  is  magnificent;  the  climate  equable;  the  trade 
winds  delicious  ;  the  flowers  and  trees  beautiful  beyond 
description.  The  struggling  youthful  republic  is  inter- 
esting, with  the  faults  of  youth  to  be  corrected.  The 
population  is  a  very  mixed  one,  marrying  and  inter- 
marrying until  it  is  hard  to  tell  who  are  white.  There 
are  so  many  Chinese  you  think  you  are  in  Hong  Kong, 
and  such  numbers  of  Japanese  you  feel  you  must  have 
landed  in  Yokohama.     The  real   Hawaiians   are   affable 


a 


MALIETA  KING  OF  SAMOA 


EMMA  J.  BARTOL  241 

and  hospitable.     I  soon  leave  here  for  Auckland,  New 
Zealand." 

While  at  the  Islands  I  sent  the  following  letter  to 
Philadelphia  to  be  read  at  a  meeting  of  one  of  my  clubs. 

"  To  the  New  Century  Club,  Greeting  : 

The  women  of  all  lands,  whether  living  amongst  the 
glaciers  of  Norway  or  in  the  seductive  indolence  of  the 
tropics,  should  be  of  interest  to  women  in  general,  and 
to  the  New  Century  Club  in  particular.  I  have  already 
sent  you  some  information  on  the  status  of  the  women 
of  Southern  California  and  you  may  like  to  hear  of  the 
pleasant  time  spent  among  those  of  Hawaii. 

On  arrival  I  was  called  upon  by  a  lady  who  had 
lived  many  years  in  the  Islands,  and,  finding  how  inter- 
ested I  was  on  all  subjects  pertaining  to  women,  she 
kindly  did  everything  in  her  power  to  gratify  my  wishes. 

My  first  objective  point  was  to  have  an  interview 
with  Queen  Liliuokalani.  This  I  supposed  could  be 
easily  managed  and  would  open  up  the  way  for  further 
information  ;  but  I  found  I  had  reckoned  without  my 
host.  Although  my  friend  made  every  effort,  aided  by 
powerful  persons  behind  the  throne  who  Used  their  in- 
fluence to  bring  about  the  desired  result,  it  proved  in 
vain  and  I  was  more  than  disappointed. 

Hawaii  is  like  a  moth  just  bursting  from  its  chrysalis 
and  emerging  into  its  new  life,  the  soft  downy  wings  not 
dry  or  prepared  to  wing  their  flight.  Politics  and  social 
life  are  as  yet  in  a  chaotic  state  just  emerging  from  a 
monarchy  into  a  newly  fledged  republic. 

As  in  our  Civil  War  the  social  department  met  with 
disintegration  ;  families  were  divided,  fueds  were  engen- 


242  RECOLLECTIONS   OF  A  TRAVELLER 

dered  and  people  awoke  in  the  morning  to  find  father 
against  son,  and  old  time  friends  parted  by  political  dif- 
ferences. 

I  discovered  that  the  Queen  is  a  prisoner  on  parole, 
surrounded  by  enemies  and  watched  by  detectives.  She 
is  afraid  to  visit  or  receive  visits  ;  she  is  not  allowed  to 
leave  the  island,  and  is  in  constant  dread  of  losing  the 
little  liberty  allowed  her. 

There  are  two  distinct  parties,  Royalists  and  Repub- 
licans. The  Royalists  espouse  the  cause  of  the  Mon- 
archy, the  head  of  whom  was  Queen  Liliuokalani,  who 
was  deposed.  Many  around  her  were  either  thrown  into 
prison  or  exiled  without  a  minute's  warning,  losing  their 
property  and  languishing  in  prisons  as  convicts  in  misery 
and  want,  leaving  their  families  in  great  distress.  Some 
were  pursued  as  felons  into  the  forests,  mountains  or 
swamps  to  be  shot  down  as  criminals  of  the  worst  de- 
scription. 

I  visited  one  of  those  who  had  been  imprisoned  but 
is  now  released  and  who  formerly  held  the  position  of 
Minister  of  the  Interior.  He  had  suffered  terribly  from 
the  bad  treatment,  want  of  nourishment  and  impure  air. 
This  highly  polished  and  cultivated  gentleman  has  lost 
his  health  in  consequence  and  a  terrible  disease  has  been 
engendered  which  sooner  or  later  will  result  in  death. 

One  could  go  on  indefinitely  with  tales  of  oppres- 
sion, distress  and  woe,  caused  by  the  overthrow  and 
radical  change  in  the  government.  But  you  will  ask  how 
and  why  was  this  done  ?  Through  the  instrumentality 
of  the    missionaries,    who    acted,    as    it    is   said    young 


SAMOAN    CHIEF 


EMM  J  J.   BARTOL  243 

scorpions  do,  viz  :  as  soon  as  they  are  strong  enough 
they  climb  upon  their  mother's  back  and  eat  her  up. 

The  missionaries,  after  being  treated  with  the  great- 
est kindness  by  the  natives,  have  by  chicanery  and  sharp 
dealings  possessed  themselves  of  their  property  and 
lands.  Who  hold  all  the  positions  of  power  and  trust 
to-day  ?  The  missionaries.  Who  are  the  wealthy  land- 
holders ?  The  missionaries.  To  whom  belong  the 
stately  homes  ?  The  missionaries,  or  the  sons  of  mis- 
sionaries. 

Naturally  those  who  have  lost  and  those  who  have 
gained  the  power  are  in  opposition  and  the  losing  faction 
are  feeling  the  sting  acutely. 

I  was  hoping  to  consolidate  the  women  into  a  Club 
from  which  might  emanate  strength  and  unity  and  many 
good  works,  of  which  our  own  Club  is  a  shining  example, 
but  after  visiting  several  leading  women  of  both  factions 
I  found  the  existing  jealousy  and  rancor  made  any  move- 
ment of  the  kind  an  impossibility.  It  was  not  for  want 
of  education,  for  I  was  agreeably  surprised  at  the  intelli- 
gence and  brightness  of  the  women,  both  foreign  and 
native. 

The  scholastic  advantages  are  fully  up  to  date  and 
the  schools  are  supplied  with  all  modern  educational  im- 
provements. The  Hawaiians  are  bright  and  readily 
master  all  the  curriculum.  A  professor  stated  that  the 
natives  are  unusually  apt  in  writing  and  drawing,  while 
in  other  branches  they  are  quite  up  to  the  standing  of 
the  whites.     At  the  present  the  women,  both  white  and 


244  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

natives,  are  working  hard  in  the  churches,  according  to 
the  sect  to  which  they  belong. 

The  native  women  are  finely  formed,  tall,  erect, 
shapely  and  carry  themselves  well.  They  have  large 
dark  eyes,  abundant  long,  black  hair,  olive  complexions, 
or  more  properly  speaking  chocolate.  They  are  sprightly, 
good  natured  and  self-possessed  in  their  ways  and  man- 
ners. To  give  you  an  instance  :  Calling  quite  unex- 
pectedly at  a  house  in  the  country  with  my  friend,  we  found 
the  family  in  an  inner  room  where  some  were  painting 
china,  with  plates,  cups,  saucers  and  vases  strewed  around, 
and  patterns,  paints  and  brushes  about  in  studio  fashion. 
The  ladies,  in  the  easy  costume  of  the  natives,  wearing  a 
dress  called  "  holoku,"  or  what  we  should  style  "  Mother 
Hubbard,"  were  not  in  the  least  disconcerted,  but 
received  us  in  their  usual  hospitable  way,  simply  stop- 
ping their  work  to  greet  us.  Having  devoted  sometime 
to  china  painting  I  was  at  once  interested,  asking  how 
they  succeeded  in  firing  and  in  procuring  the  necessary 
oils  and  materials.  Soon  they  inquired  what  we  pre- 
ferred to  drink.  Finding  ginger  ale  would  suit  all, 
glasses  were  brought  with  cakes  served  on  some  of  the 
dainty  studio  plates.  Thus  a  very  pleasant  hour  was 
spent  in  this  unceremonious  and  friendly  way,  which  is 
the  usual  one  amongst  the  natives. 

One  cogent  reason  for  this  easy  manner  of  being 
received  is  that  there  are  no  bells,  knockers  or  servants 
to  attend  the  doors  ;  on  arriving  one  simply  opens  the 
front  door  and  calls  till  some  member  of  the  family 
answers  or  appears. 

The  native  women  are  remarkably  fond  of  riding 
on  horseback,  which  they  do  fearlessly,  generally  going 


SAMOAN   YOUTH.      FLOWER  COSTUME 


EMMA  J.   BARTOL  245 

at  full  gallop.  They  ride  astride,  wearing  divided  skirts, 
which  they  arrange  in  such  a  way  as  not  to  appear 
unseemly.  With  instructions  from  them  the  writer  rode 
some  miles  to  the  volcano  of  Kilauea  and  found  no 
trouble  in  so  doing.  The  women  are  also  very  fond  of 
swimming  and  are  great  experts.  The  missionaries  have 
had  such  an  influence,  however,  that  the  free  and  easy 
abandon  of  the  past  is  giving  way,  and  in  vain  I  looked 
for  the  celebrated  surf-swimmers  of  by-gone  times." 


246  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 


CHAPTER   XXV. 

When  we  took  our  steamer  for  New  Zealand  we 
found  on  board  the  wife  of  Robert  Louis  Stevenson,  her 
son  and  daughter,  Miss  Isobel  Strong,  en  route  for  their 
home  in  Samoa.  I  became  very  well  acquainted  with 
them,  and  Miss  Strong  was  afterwards  my  guest  in  Phil- 
adelphia for  some  time.  At  noon  of  the  seventh  day  we 
anchored  within  the  coral  reefs  of  the  harbor  at  Samoa 
and  went  on  shore  in  the  small  boats  which  the  natives 
manage  so  skilfully.  The  Stevenson  party  received  a 
great  ovation.  After  a  few  hours'  stay  among  these 
curious  and  unattractive  people  we  set  sail  again.  The 
five  days'  voyage  was  most  uncomfortable,  the  sea  a  suc- 
cession of  heavy  swells  with  the  waves  occasionally  break- 
ing over  the  deck,  and  we  were  glad  indeed  to  land  at 
Auckland.  I  was  greatly  and  most  favorably  impressed 
with  New  Zealand.  During  our  five  weeks'  stay  I  visited 
all  the  places  of  importance,  and  afterwards  embodied 
my  views  in  a  lecture  which  I  gave  a  number  of  times 
after  returning  home  and  then  printed  for  circulation 
among  my  friends.  I  can  take  space  here  for  only  a 
brief  abstract  of  it. 

The  climate  is  like  wine  without  a  headache  ;  like 
that  of  Japan,  the  best  to  be  found  anywhere,  though  not 
perfect.  According  to  Mr.  Henry  D.  Lloyd,  New 
Zealand  has  the  area  approximately  of  Italy,  a  popula- 
tion of  about  780,000,  and  40,000  of  these  are  Maoris. 
We  speak  commonly  of  New  Zealand  and  Australia  as 
if  they  were  within  hail  of  each  other,  but  New  Zealand 


SAMOAN   BELLE 


EMMA  J.  BARTOL  247 

is  half  as  far  from  Australia  as  America  is  from  Europe, 
and  they  are  stormy  waters  that  guard  these  shores.  Its 
isolation  protects  it  from  tidal  waves  of  heat  and  cold. 
New  Zealand  is  made  up  of  two  large  islands  and  some 
smaller  ones.  A  tree  falls  in  the  forest  and  in  its  roots 
is  found  a  gold  mine  ;  a  citizen  digs  a  posthole  and  cuts 
into  a  vein  of  coal  forty  feet  thick. 

New  Zealand  has  the  variety  that  gives  vigor  and  is 
tonic.  Almost  every  New  Zealander  lives  within  sight 
of  the  mountains  or  the  ocean  or  both.  Its  landscapes 
show  long  ranges  and  solitary  giants  tipped  with  Alpine 
glow ;  there  are  waterfalls  everywhere,  some  of  them 
among  the  finest  in  the  world,  a  luxuriant  country-side, 
golden  farms,  lakes,  geysers,  volcanoes ;  forests  with 
miles  of  pink,  white  and  red  flowering  trees  in  spring  ; 
and  there  are  fiords  of  the  sea  threading  their  way  around 
the  feet  of  mountains  crowned  with  glaciers  and  perpetual 
snow.  The  scenery  is  a  synopsis  of  the  best  that  Nor- 
way, Switzerland,  Italy  and  England  can  show,  with 
occasional  patches  of  Gehenna  in  the  pumice  country 
around  the  hot  lakes.  Wellington  is  the  Washington  of 
New  Zealand.  The  town  is  situated  at  the  foot  of  a 
high  range  of  hills  and  overlooks  a  fine  harbor.  It  is 
probably  one  of  the  stormiest  places  in  the  world ;  earth- 
quakes and  tidal  waves  are  by  no  means  rare.  It  is  the 
capital,  and  Parliament  Buildings,  Government  House 
and  Offices  give  the  key  to  its  character.  It  has  about 
34,000  inhabitants.  Auckland  comes  next,  followed  by 
Christchurch  and  Dunedin.  Dunedin  which  is  Gaelic 
for  Edinburgh,  was  founded  by  Scotch  Presbyterians  and 
derived  its  prosperity  from  the  gold  fields,  whilst  Auck- 


248  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

land,  like  Topsy,  has  "  growed "  somehow,  deriving 
scant  advantage  from  having  been  the  seat  of  government 
in  early  days.      It  is  essentially  a  commercial  city. 

New  Zealand  is  inhabited  by  British  settlers  and  an 
aboriginal  race  who  call  themselves  the  Maori,  and  who 
belong  to  the  Malay  division  of  mankind.  Within  liv- 
ing memory  these  Maoris  have  changed  from  cannibals 
into  citizens  and  members  of  Parliament,  while  their 
women  have  changed  from  squaws  to  voters.  The 
woods  and  plains  of  Africa  and  America  were  rich  with 
game  both  for  the  natives  and  new  arrivals,  but  the  New 
Zealand  larder  was  empty  when  the  white  man  came. 

A  horticultural  school  started  recently  by  Queen 
Victoria  was  intended  for  men,  but  it  was  announced  that 
if  women  wanted  to  come  they  would  be  admitted.  To 
everyone's  surprise  the  school  was  at  once  flooded  with 
women,  and  further  admissions  had  to  be  refused.  Well- 
to-do  women  came  because  they  wanted  to  learn  enough 
to  see  that  their  gardeners  did  the  right  thing  ;  poor 
women  came  to  add  another  means  of  making  a  living  ; 
and  a  familiar  figure  was  the  factory  girl  who  had  been 
warned  by  her  doctor  that  she  must  betake  herself  to  an 
outdoor  life  if  she  would  live. 

Woman  suffrage  came  in  New  Zealand  almost  with- 
out notice  and  without  agitation.  A  slightly  larger  per- 
centage of  women  than  of  men  exercise  their  right  of 
voting.  The  influence  of  women  has  been  felt  helpfully 
in  legislation.  Women  are  enfranchised,  and  the  prin- 
ciple of  "  one  man,  one  vote,"  enfranchises  all  men  and 
puts  an  end  to  the  abuses  of  plural  voting  in  Parliament 
and  municipal  elections.     On  election  day  one  can  see 


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EMMA  J.  BARTOL  249 

the  baby  carriages  standing  in  front  of  the  polls  while  the 
father  and  the  mother  go  in  and  vote — against  each  other 
if  they  choose.  For  these  facts  I  am  indebted  to  "Newest 
England,"  by  Henry  D.  Lloyd. 

It  was  July  when  we  went  to  Australia  but  unfor- 
tunately for  us  this  is  their  midwinter  and  we  found  the 
weather  raw  and  cold,  while  the  rains  were  frequent  and 
heavy.  The  people  and  the  life  are  intensely  English. 
A  few  letters  must  suffice  for  this  interesting  country 
about  which  so  much  has  been  and  will  be  written. 

Sidney,  New  South  Wales, 

July  3,  1896. 

"  New  Zealand  looked  greener  than  the  Emerald 
Isle  ;  the  conifrae  are  the  handsomest  I  have  ever  seen. 
The  country  is  sub-tropical.  I  found  it  cold  and  damp, 
the  thermometer  ranging  between  500  and  6o°,  with 
stone  houses  unheated  except  for  a  bit  of  a  fire  in  one 
room,  about  a  handful  of  soft  coal,  doors  and  windows 
always  wide  open.  It  was  their  winter,  answering  to  our 
December.  So  it  is  here,  everything  is  up  side  down 
and  July  is  the  coldest  month.  The  Southern  cross 
shines  clear  and  bright  over  head,  but  no  familiar  stars 
greet  our  eyes  at  night. 

You  would  be  interested  in  the  sheep  stations.  A 
small  number  of  sheep  does  not  pay,  nothing  less  than 
20,000.  They  shear  by  steam  power.  The  wool  ware- 
houses are  immense  stone  buildings  of  imposing  appear- 
ance. 

The  climate  here  is  about  the  same  as  at  Auckland, 
no  frost,  no  snow,  and   not   so  damp.     The   weather  of 


250  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

late  has  been  superb,  a  bright,  clear,  sunny  atmosphere 
and  a  cloudless  sky  have  made  it  possible  to  see  many 
of  the  environs  and  places  of  resort,  which  are  enchant- 
ing. I  cannot  speak  so  well  of  the  population.  Botany 
Bay,  where  Capt.  Cook  landed  and  which  was  the  penal 
settlement  for  England,  is  one  of  the  suburbs.  Some  of 
the  convicts  have  grown  rich  and  consequently  powerful 
but  that  part  of  the  town  looks  scallywag.  The  popu- 
lation descended  from  the  convicts  seem  like  shabby  gen- 
tility, even  those  who  come  from  England  as  a  rule  are 
those  to  whom  life  has  been  a  failure  and  they  come  here 
as  a  last  resort.  But  the  convicts'  labor  has  been  a  bless- 
ing in  some  ways,  as  they  have  made  splendid  roads, 
bridges,  quays,  etc. 

I  have  felt  too  hurried  to  write  much,  but  thought 
I  would  give  you  a  synopsis  of  this  strange  country  of 
the  Platybus,  Moa,  Emeu,  Wallaby  and  Kangaroo. 

I  am  37  degrees  below  the  Equator  and  have  had 
enough  of  the  south  pole  ;  now  I  mean  to  hang  my 
shingle  out  around  the  Equator  and  warm  up  a  bit.  I 
shall  soon  turn  my  face  northwards." 

Later  : — "  Although  I  wrote  to  you  this  morning  I 
have  seen  something  this  afternoon  which  I  thought 
would  interest  you  and  I  must  sit  right  down  and  tell  you 
all  about  it.  I  had  tickets  given  me  to  the  Grand  Inter- 
colonial Sheep  Show  and  Sheep-dog  Trials.  They  take 
place  a  little  out  of  Sydney  in  the  grounds  of  the  Fair, 
something  like  a  race-course  with  stands  around  the  out- 
side of  the  greensward.  The  day  was  superb  and  quite 
warm.  The  trials  were  held  at  the  Royal  Agricultural 
Societies'  Grounds,  Moore  Park.     A  flock  of  sheep  are 


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EMM  J  J.  BARTOL  251 

kept  in  a  corral  until  wanted,  a  hundred  yards  away  ;  a 
small  piece  of  greensward  is  fenced  off,  with  hurdles  and  an 
opening  farther  on  ;  two  hurdles  are  placed  diagonally  and 
further  on  more  hurdles,  representing  a  fold  with  one 
narrow  opening.  The  sheep  are  lifted  up  by  men  and 
placed  some  distance  from  the  first  opening.  The 
trained  shepherd  dog  is  brought  and  it  is  his  business  to 
make  those  sheep  go  through  the  three  trials,  the  fold, 
the  narrow  opening  and  the  further  sheep  fold,  unassisted. 
Six  of  the  best  dogs  had  a  trial,  ten  minutes  allowed  to 
each  dog.  The  dogs  are  unlike  our  collies,  much 
smaller,  long  and  lean,  something  the  shape  of  a  fox. 
Their  training  and  sagacity  are  wonderful.  By  gestures 
they  seem  to  understand  everything  the  shepherd  desires 
and  lie  down  at  command.  I  was  delighted  with  their 
intelligence  and  docility  ;  they  never  bark  or  worry  the 
sheep  as  poorly  trained  dogs  do.  I  saw  them  accom- 
complish  the  three  trials. 

Then  came  the  shearing  of  the  sheep  by  steam 
machinery,  which  was  done  in  a  few  minutes  and  the 
sheep  relieved  of  their  winter  coats.  Afterwards  I  saw 
the  prize  sheep  with  their  blue  and  red  ribbons  around 
their  necks.  Well,  I  thought  I  had  seen  sheep,  but 
upon  my  word  I  was  amazed.  Some  were  so  buried  in 
wool  I  could  not  see  their  eyes  ;  frequently  they  are 
obliged  to  cut  away  the  wool  around  the  eyes  so  they 
can  see  to  eat.  They  find  the  Vermont  sheep  very  fine 
and  are  importing  them.  The  object  is  to  breed  so  as 
to  have  the  merino  wool  down  to  their  fetlocks  and  up 


252  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

to  their  eyes.  Some  sheep  are  for  blankets,  some  for 
fine  clothing. 

Formerly  the  wool  all  went  to  London  to  be  sold 
but  now  they  send  it  to  France,  Germany  and  England, 
as  ordered.  The  great  pest  here  is  ticks,  which  they  are 
now  fighting.  The  tick  and  the  fluke  actually  eat  the 
livers  of  the  poor  sheep ;  the  eggs  are  deposited  on  the 
blades  of  the  grass  and  hatch  inside  the  sheep  and  make 
their  way  to  the  liver.  The  oil  of  the  sheep's  wool  is 
called  yolk  and  poisons  the  men  who  shear  if  it  enters  a 
wound.  The  tariff  in  the  States  has  helped  Australia 
and  been  worth  thousands  of  dollars  to  the  wool  growers, 
as  we  now  have  to  buy  their  wool.  As  the  old  adage  is, 
4  What's  one  man's  meat  is  another  man's  poison '  New 
South  Wales  has  free  trade,  Victoria  has  protection. 
Sydney  has  grown  and  Melbourne  gone  down. 

The  government  is  very  difficult  to  comprehend. 
They  owe  allegiance  to  England  and  if  attacked  England 
would  defend  them ;  but  each  colony  raises  its  own 
revenue,  has  its  own  parliament,  and  is  independent  of 
the  Mother  Country,  making  its  own  laws.  They  have 
discovered  their  mistake  in  not  having  the  educational 
qualification  to  vote  ;  now  the  mob  rules  and  they  are 
bitterly  feeling  the  situation." 

Sydney,  July  4,  1896, 

"  I  am  quite  well  and  hearty,  not  having  had  an 
ache  or  pain,  notwithstanding  all  the  rough  ocean  trips 
and  many  by  land.  This  is  mid-winter,  the  sun  rises  at 
7  a.  m.  and  sets  at  5.  To  have  a  sunny  room  one  must 
demand  a  northern  exposure.      Magnificent  India  rubber 


EMMA  J.  BARTOL  253 

trees  form  beautiful  avenues  in  the  various  parks.  I 
have  not  felt  really  warm  since  leaving  Honolulu. 
Sydney  is  a  beautiful  place  of  480,000  inhabitants,  about 
such  a  city  as  Boston.  It  is  a  little  over  a  century  old, 
covers  2,670  acres  and  its  streets  measure  in  length  100 
miles.  It  is  built  on  promontories  in  a  number  of  beau- 
tiful bays.  The  streets  are  mostly  very  steep.  Tram 
and  steam  cars,  omnibusses  and  hundreds  of  cab  stands 
are  all  over  the  city.  The  public  buildings  are  very 
handsome,  built  of  sandstone  with  polished  pillars. 

This  is  the  queer  land  of  strange  animals  and  birds. 
I  saw  dozens  of  cockatoos  and  parrots  of  all  shades  im- 
aginable in  the  shops  for  sale  for  a  few  shillings  each. 
The  city  and  people  are  very  English  and  yet  there  is  a 
difference,  not  for  the  better.  I  went  to  Botany  Bay  and 
I  thought  how  many  persons  had  stepped  out  of  those 
convict  ships  never  to  return  or  see  their  friends  again. 
Of  course  there  are  some  cultivated,  fine  people,  but  as 
a  rule,  they  strike  you  as  second  class  ;  the  lower  classes 
rule  and  all  the  laws  favor  them. 

July  6  I  sail  in  the  steamship  '  Arcadia,'  a  Penin- 
sular and  Oriental  boat,  which  touches  at  Melbourne  and 
Adelaide,  so  I  shall  have  an  opportunity  of  seeing  more 
of  this  wonderful  land.  Have  been  here  three  weeks, 
sightseeing  all  the  time.  The  ocean  voyage  will  be  three 
weeks  via  Ceylon  to  South  Africa." 

Melbourne,  Victoria,  July  8,  1896. 

"  I  arrived  here  at  daylight.  After  breakfast  started 
for  the  Zoo,  which  is  reputed  very  fine  and  is  an 
hour's    ride    by    train.     We    looked    at    the    Wombat, 


254  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 


Wallaby,  Adjutant,  Eagles  of  all  sorts  and  Monkeys. 
When  it  commenced  to  hail  hard  we  took  shelter  in  an 
arbor  just  behind  the  Adjutant,  who  walked  with  solemn 
strides  to  our  refuge  and  deliberately  turned  his  back  on 
us.  As  the  water  stood  in  pools  it  was  impossible  to 
proceed  ;  besides  all  the  animals  were  more  sensible  than 
we  and  tucked  themselves  under  the  straw,  so  dashing 
by  the  Kangaroo,  Macaw  and  Cockatoo,  we  all  withdrew. 
The  streets  are  very  wide  and  the  buildings  high 
and  handsome.  They  have  a  fine  esplanade  and  view 
of  the  Pacific.  There  are  many  beautiful  residences  and 
gardens  at  a  suburb  called  St.  Hilda.  We  visited  the 
Homeopathic  Hospital,  Blind  Asylum,  and  Deaf  and 
Dumb  Institution.     The  streets  run  up  and  down  many 

hills. 

The  steamship  is  a  fine,  large  vessel  and  very  steady. 
We  had  a  smooth  passage  here,  had  to  study  whether  the 
vessel  was  really  going,  there  was  so  little  motion.  But 
the  cold  is  very  disagreeable,  like  raw  November  weather, 
no  fires,  doors  and  windows  open,  wind  blowing,  so  we 
wear  all  the  clothes  we  possess. 


EMM  J  J.   BARTOL  255 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

We  had  a  strange  crowd  on  board,  as  we  started 
from  Australia  for  Ceylon,  people  of  many  nationalities 
bound  for  many  parts  of  the  world  for  all  sorts  of  pur- 
poses. The  ocean  was  in  a  fury.  The  dishes  flew  from 
the  table.  Everybody  was  sea  sick  and  miserable,  but 
after  a  few  days'  steaming  to  the  northwest  we  sailed  into 
calm  seas  and  the  passengers  all  came  on  deck  arrayed  in 
light  garments.  Life  on  ship  board  became  the  reality 
of  a  summer  dream.  We  had  music,  dancing,  games, 
dramatic  performances,  and  a  gala  time.  I  find  among 
the  old  letters  the  following  account  of  one  of  those  ship 

concerts  : 

On  Shipboard,  July  24th,  1896. 

"'The  Stewards'  Concert  at  8.30.'  How  can  I  de- 
scribe the  beauty  of  the  evening.  It  was  something  to  be 
felt  rather  than  told.  The  moon  had  just  fulled  and  cast 
its  shimmering  light  from  the  ship  to  the  horizon  across 
the  broad  Indian  Ocean  and  filtered  in  silvery  sheen  on 
the  rippling  waters.  The  usually  rolling  sea  with  its 
immense  swells  lay  still  and  calm,  and  but  for  the  sheets 
of  snowy  foam  stealing  from  the  prow  of  our  noble  ship, 
we  could  with  difficulty  imagine  that  we  were  going  fifteen 
knots  an  hour. 

All  the  afternoon  the  busy  and  picturesque  Lascars 
were  dragging  around  benches,  awnings,  and  the  piano 
from  the  upper  deck  to  the  lower  one,  and  lashing  them 
fast ;  the  hold  was  covered  by  gratings  and  again  by 
canvas,    forming    an    excellent  platform  for  the  singers 


256  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

and  dancers  of  the  evening.  On  the  deck  were  numerous 
benches  for  the  second-class  passengers  arranged  as  in  a 
theatre.  Behind  and  around  them  various  groups 
stood  or  leaned  against  the  bulwarks.  The  cooks  in 
their  white  paper  caps  and  snowy  aprons  and  trousers 
formed  a  distinct  party,  while  other  employes  flitted  here 
and  there,  half  in  shadow.  On  the  deck  above,  near  the 
forecastle,  the  officers  in  their  white  duck  suits  and  gilt 
buttons,  with  jaunty  blue  cloth  caps,  were  surveying  the 
scene  between  watches.  The  first-class  passengers  were 
comfortably  seated  in  all  kinds  of  rocking  and  easy  deck 
chairs  opposite  the  officers  on  another  deck  in  the  middle 
of  the  ship,  so  that  it  seemed  to  represent  the  pit,  the 
balcony  and  the  gallery  of  a  theatre. 

The  Lascars  are  a  brown,  spare  and  active  people 
from  Bombay,  India  and  the  northeast  coast  of  Africa. 
They  are  preferred  as  sailors  on  account  of  their  abstemi- 
ousness ;  they  do  not  drink  ;  they  have  their  own  cook 
and  separate  food,  principally  rice  and  fish  ;  they  are  very 
spry  and  lithe.  Their  dress  is  white  trousers,  a  long 
blue  blouse  of  cotton,  embroidered  and  tied  in  the  middle 
around  the  loins  with  a  scarlet  handkerchief,  the  points 
hanging  down,  and  an  embroidered  cap  bound  around 
with  a  scarlet  cloth  like  a  turban.  They  have  small, 
delicate  features  and  straight  black  hair.  They  run  up 
and  down  the  rigging  like  cats. 

The  cool  weather  is  left  behind  ;  the  ship  having 
passed  the  tropic  of  Capricorn,  is  approaching  the  Equator. 
The  thermometer  now  stands  840,  day  and  night.  All 
the  decks  are  covered  with  double  awnings,  making 
wraps  unnecessary.     The  gentlemen  in  full  evening  cos- 


EMM  J  J.   BARTOL  257 

tume,  the  ladies  in  low  necks,  short  sleeves  and  full 
opera  dress  made  the  scene  very  artistic  and  one  not  easily 
forgotten." 

On  July  28  we  slowly  drifted  into  the  harbor  of 
Columbo,  on  the  Island  of  Ceylon,  where  we  remained 
for  two  weeks,  part  of  the  time  at  the  Oriental  Hotel 
and  part  at  Mt.  Lavinia  which  is  a  more  healthful  spot. 
This  was  the  only  point  I  touched  which  I  had  visited 
on  my  former  trip  around  the  world,  and  as  I  described 
it  so  fully  in  a  former  chapter  I  may  now  pass  it  by. 

Sailing  slowly  to  the  southwest  for  ten  days  through 
the  Indian  Ocean  we  came  to  the  little  Island  of 
Mauritius.  We  were  persuaded  to  stop  off  and  wait  for 
another  steamer,  which  we  much  regretted  doing.  A 
letter  that  I  wrote  from  there  will  give  an  idea  of  the 
place  and  our  sojourn. 

Kurpipe,  Mauritius,  Sept.  6,  1896. 

"  I  think  I  hear  you  say,  '  Where  in  the  world  have 
you  got  to  now  ?'  It  certainly  is  no  wonder  you  ask. 
Get  the  map  of  Africa,  look  at  latitude  200  off  the  coast 
of  Madagascar  and  there  you  will  find  an  island  of  the 
above  name.  At  present  I  am  stranded.  The  French 
mail  boats  having  been  taken  off  unexpectedly  I  am 
waiting  for  one  due  here  to-morrow  to  carry  me  to  Africa, 
where  the  large  mail  steamers  sail  for  Europe  weekly. 
This  is  the  poorest  and  most  uninteresting  place  of  the 
whole  trip.  It  is  a  small  island  just  within  the  Tropic 
of  Capricorn.  It  formerly  belonged  to  the  French,  but 
Great  Britain  put  the  lion's  paw  on  it  and  now  it  is  under 


258  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

English  rule,  though  the  language  and  customs  are  still 
French.  The  chief  industry  of  the  country  is  sugar  and 
the  tall  chimneys  of  the  sugar  houses  remind  me  of  Cuba, 
as  do  also  the  cane  fields.     This  is  the  grinding  season. 

The  Island  is  subject  to  cyclones,  but  don't  be 
frightened,  for  this  is  not  the  cyclone  season.  The  last 
bad  one  was  in  1892,  when  the  houses  fell  in  every 
direction  and  thousands  of  people  were  buried.  There 
were  none  left  to  dig  them  out  and  the  scenes  must  have 
been  harrowing,  persons  having  been  caught  by  the  arms  or 
legs  and  no  one  to  release  them.  The  ruins  are  still  there 
and  they  dare  not  remove  them  for  fear  of  an  epidemic ; 
therefore  Port  Louis  is  very  sickly  and  it  is  not  safe  to 
sleep  one  night  in  it.  We  came  at  once  to  Kurpipe, 
which  in  Dutch  means  a  place  to  light  your  pipe.  The 
village  is  a  kind  of  Main  Line — thatis, it  is  about  one  hours' 
distance  from  the  town — and  the  rich  all  have  country 
places  there.  It  is  2,000  feet  above  the  the  sea  level,  the 
thermometer  ranges  between  49  °  and  700  generally — 
since  I  have  been  here  about  62  °.  It  is  the  rainiest  spot 
I  ever  had  the  misfortune  to  get  into.  Have  been  here 
fourteen  days  and  only  two  without  rain. 

What  do  I  do  ?  The  moment  it  holds  up  I  go  for 
a  walk  and  am  lucky  if  it  does  not  pour  before  I  return. 
The  scenery  of  the  island  is  picturesque  ;  being  volcanic, 
there  are  some  lofty  peaks  of  fantastic  shape,  one  called 
"  La  Pouce,"  ("  The  Thumb").  There  are  extinct  vol- 
canoes and  areas  covered  with  volcanic  rocks.  Kurpipe 
is  singularly  uninteresting.  Lying  in  a  bowl,  one  can 
see  nothing  except  by  climbing  up  the  steep,  toilsome 
ascent  to   its  rim,  when   a   charming  vista   of  mountain 


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EMMA  J.   BARTOL  259 

peaks  piercing  the  cloud-riven  sky  bursts  upon  one,  with 
the  tranquil  Indian  Ocean  bathing  the  distant  shores.  I 
gaze  and  gaze  and  wish  I  could  get  away,  but  all  things 
come  to  them  who  wait ;  and  I  hope  it  will  not  be  long 
now.  The  roads  are  mountainous  and  lonely,  for  they 
are  hemmed  in  by  hedges  of  bamboo  twelve  to  fifteen  feet 
high,  which  are  trimmed  into  all  sorts  of  fantastic  shapes. 
Every  little  while  there  is  an  opening  into  some  gentleman's 
private  gardens,  with  the  house  in  the  distance,  back 
the  road.  At  these  openings  I  am  obliged  to  stop 
and  look  in  for  they  are  so  gay  with  masses  of  pink  and 
crimson  begonias  several  feet  high,  large  rose  bushes  in 
full  flower,  bougainvillea,  poppies,  hedges  of  azalias  and 
camellias  of  all  colors,  many  feet  tall.  A  brilliant  orange 
colored  creeper  climbs  to  the  tops  of  the  loftiest  trees. 
The  immense  quantity  of  rain  keeps  everything  green 
and  growing,  so  we  have  a  combination  of  tropical  and 
northern  vegetation,  thousands  of  sweet  violets,  English 
daisies  and  spring  flowers.  In  the  warmer  situations  are 
tamarinds,  mangoes,  oranges,  lemons,  etc. 

Having  so  much  time  I  have  once  more  taken  up 
the  brush  and  have  sketched  the  tomb  of  Paul  and  Vir- 
ginia, who  are  said  to  have  been  wrecked  here,  and  also 
the  different  varieties  of  flowers.  I  have  just  finished 
reading  c  The  Bondsman,'  by  Hall  Caine,  and  a  number 
of  other  books.  I  have  even  resumed  knitting  on  my 
poor  scarlet  silk  stocking,  which  is  now  making  its  second 
trip  around  the  world.      If  it  gets  home  safely  I  am  going 


260  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

to  have  it  finished,  framed  and  hung  up  as  a  very  much  ' 
travelled  hose  of  stylish  and  brilliant  make. 

The  upper  classes  here  are  chiefly  a  mixed  French 
and  native  people.  There  are  also  Indians,  Negroes, 
Chinese  and  Blacks  of  many  nations. 

I  am  very  anxious  to  know  how  all  of  you  are  at 
home,  not  having  heard  since  May.  The  meals  here  are 
very  peculiar  and  it  was  hard  to  be  broken  in.  At  7  a.  m. 
a  tray  is  brought  to  the  bed-side  with  tea  and  two  little, 
thin  slices  of  bread  and  butter;  at  10  a.  m.  a  breakfast 
of  several  courses  ;  then  bread  and  butter,  tea  and  jam  at 
3  p.  m. ;  dinner  at  7  p.  m.,  with  soup  and  various 
courses.     The  food  is  poor  and  queerly  cooked." 

The  steamer  came  but  alas,  it  stayed  ten  days  for 
repairs  and  it  was  just  a  month  after  we  landed  at  this 
barren  and  uninteresting  island  before  we  finally  set  sail 
for  South  Africa. 

Ten  days  later,  after  a  sultry  but  stormy  trip,  we 
joyfully  sighted  Durban,  Port  Natal,  on  the  extreme 
southeastern  point  of  Africa.  We  had  had  many  odd 
experiences  but  found  here  a  new  one.  The  steamship 
could  not  go  over  the  sand  bar,  so  a  tug  was  sent  to 
meet  us.  A  huge  basket,  three  feet  wide,  six  feet  deep, 
with  a  shallow  seat,  a  neat  top  and  a  door  secured  with 
a  padlock,  was  lowered  by  a  crane  to  our  deck,  a  passenger 
took  a  seat,  was  hoisted  in  mid-air  and  swung  on  the 
deck  of  the  other  vessel.  After  a  few  days  here  we  went 
on  to  Pieter  Maritzburg,  where  we  stopped  at  a  hotel 
built  to  represent  an  English  castle  and  covered  with 
Kenilworth  ivy.     The  scenery  about  here  is  grand,  hill 


T~ 


m. 


82* 


EMMA  J.   BARTOL  261 

piled  upon  hill,  and  mountain  rising  above  mountain. 
We  saw  the  wagon  trains  drawn  by  from  twelve  to 
eighteen  oxen  "  trekking  "  across  the  Transvaal.  Little 
did  we  dream  of  the  awful  carnage  and  desolation  which 
a  few  years  later  descended  upon  this  peaceful  country  ! 
From  here  we  continued  our  journey  to  Johannesberg, 
and  I  find  the  following  letter  written  from  there,  Oct. 
6,  1896. 

"  I  imagine  1  hear  you  say  sometimes,  '  I  wonder 
where  mother  is  now.'  Truly  I  wonder  myself.  I  am 
writing  from  the  Transvaal,  Africa.  This  is  where  they 
had  such  a  scare  a  short  time  ago  by  the  Jamison  raid. 
They  packed  all  the  women  and  children  into  special 
trains  and  sent  them  off  to  Cape  Town  for  safety.  It 
was  a  dreadfully  anxious  time  and  the  misery  they  suf- 
fered was  terrible.  One-half  of  the  world  seems  bound 
to  make  the  other  half  as  wretched  as  possible. 

The  Hollanders,  who  came  and  settled  in  Africa  to 
have  freedom  of  speech  and  thought,  were  living  a  peace- 
ful, pastoral  life  when  the  English  saw  what  a  rich,  good 
land  it  was  and  how  they  throve,  so  they  poked  their  nose 
in  and  said,  "  We  want  to  have  this  land  ;"  the  Dutch 
said,  "  We  do  not  want  you,  but  if  you  will  come  and  be 
satisfied,  why,  come."  But  soon  the  English  became 
aggressive  and  said,  "  We  are  going  to  govern  you."  It 
ended  in  the  Dutch  abandoning  the  territory,  taking  their 
movable  goods  in  ox  teams  and  "  trekking  "  over  moun- 
tains, valleys  and  difficult  passes  till  at  last  they  came  to 
the  river  Vaal,  over  which  they  transported  their  cattle 
and    themselves,  and   called  the  country   Transvaal,  or 


262  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

Across  the  Vaal.  "Now,"  they  said,  "  all  we  want  is  to  be 
let  alone  in  our  own  pastoral  life  to  govern  ourselves  in 
our  own  fashion."  Again  the  English  came  and  said, 
You  have  gold  here  and  we  want  it.  The  Dutch  said, 
"  You  may  have  it,  all  we  want  is  to  be  let  alone."  Again 
the  English,  when  they  grew  strong,  rose  up  and  said, 
"  We  want  not  only  the  gold  but  to  levy  the  taxes  and 
control  the  Government." 

This  is  the  gist  of  what  the  last  trouble  was  about. 
Is  it  any  wonder  the  Boers  should  feel  sore  and  hate  the 
English  ?  Boers  does  not  mean  colored  people,  but  is 
similar  to  the  French  Bourgeoise,  and  simply  means 
what  we  would  call  Farmers  ;  they  are  a  smart,  indus- 
trious race. 

Yesterday  I  went  all  over  a  plant  for  crushing  the 
quartz  ore,  which  was  immense  and  very  interesting. 
The  noise  of  the  machinery  was  so  appalling  I  could  not 
ask  all  I  wanted  to.  The  ore,  while  being  crushed  by 
numerous  pestles,  is  constantly  washed  by  a  large  stream 
of  water  which  flows  into  vats.  The  pulverized  ore  is 
roasted,  then  subjected  to  cyanide  of  potassium  which 
transforms  the  gold  into  a  liquid,  and  this  is  caught  in 
tanks  into  which  fine  zinc  filings  are  laid  ;  these  attract 
the  gold  and  it  is  precipitated  on  the  filings ;  so  on  and 
on  by  chemistry  they  obtain  the  pure  gold  at  last.  The 
works  are  enormous,  very  expensive,  and  it  is  wearisome 
going  all  over  the  premises.  They  employ  300  coolies 
and  many  other  workers. 

Johannesburg  is  a  bare,  unfinished,  unattractive 
town,  with  many  of  these  works  and  a  rough  sort  of  pop- 
ulation, although  it  is  wonderful  what  they  have  accom- 


EMMA  J.  BARTOL  263 


plished  in  thirty  years.  These  works  belong  to  syndi- 
cates and  all  the  land  is  owned  by  them.  When  the 
leads  of  ore  are  exhausted  the  town  will  collapse. 

The  scenery  between  Durban  and  this  place  is 
grand  ;  we  constantly  ascended  until  the  train  reached 
here,  going  in  and  out  among  lofty  mountains  till  we  at- 
tained to  5,893  feet  above  sea  level.  I  hope  to  hear 
from  you  at  Cape  Town." 

Kimberly,  Cape  Colony,  Oct.  11,  1896. 

"  At  first  I  intended  to  post  this  from  Johannesburg, 
but  subsequently  thought  as  I  was  coming  direct  to  the 
celebrated  diamond  center  I  might  find  something  of  in- 
terest to  add.  The  first  diamonds  here  were  discovered 
by  a  little  girl  on  her  father's  farm  ;  she  showed  the 
pretty  stones  to  her  father  and  they  were  kept.  Subse- 
quently an  Irishman  by  the  name  of  Riley,  a  traveller, 
begged  a  night's  shelter  which  the  Boer  granted  and  dur- 
ing the  evening  showed  him  the  stones.  Riley  asked 
for  one  and  carried  it  away.  Afterwards  he  showed  it  to 
some  experts  and  finally  sold  it  for  $2,000.  This  soon 
became  noised  abroad  and  led  others  to  come.  The 
diamonds  are  found  in  blue  ground  and  reef.  The  field 
was  first  worked  by  claims,  but  subsequently  all  the 
claims  were  bought  up  and  a  syndicate  formed  in  order 
to  keep  up  the  price.  They  are  now  working  in  mines 
with  deep  shafts,  tunnels,  and  very  complicated  and  ex- 
pensive machinery.  The  blue  ground  is  brought  to  the 
surface  in  iron  buckets  and  carried  into  little  iron  wagons 
which  are  all  run  by  machinery  and  transferred  to  im- 
mense fields  to  lie  there  and  disintegrate  by  the  action  of 


264  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

the  sun  and  air.  Then  it  is  taken  to  the  pulverizing 
machine  and  the  washing  machine.  Then  the  convicts 
sort  out  the  diamonds  on  long  trays,  throwing  the 
diamonds  into  what  look  like  little  tin  spittoons.  Sub- 
sequently they  are  washed  in  acids  and  boiled  and  then 
sorted  as  to  color  and  quality  and  spread  on  tables  for 
the  buyers  to  select.  The  day  I  was  there  the  table 
was  a  long  one  and  the  value  of  $70,000  was  on  it. 
There  were  more  diamonds  than  I  shall  ever  see  again, 
some  very  large,  some  a  light  canary  color,  some  white, 
some  blue  white  ;  finally  they  showed  me  a  case  of  cut 
diamonds,  some  dark  brown  but  beautiful,  some  light 
pink.     They  are  all  cut  in  Amsterdam. 

The  De  Beers  mine  is  the  largest  and  the  first 
started.  The  convict  laborers  are  all  kept  in  what  they 
call  a  compound,  where  they  sleep  in  little  rows  of 
houses  made  of  corrugated  iron.  They  have  a  hospital 
for  the  victims  of  pneumonia  and  accidents,  which  are 
continually  occurring  in  the  mines.  They  never  leave 
the  compound  until  their  time  is  up.  I  believe  three 
months  is  the  shortest  period.  They  have  a  large  swim- 
ming pool  to  bathe  in  ;  it  was  full  when  I  was  there,  and 
they  seemed  happy  and  contented.  The  rules  are  very 
strict  and  curious.  The  week  before  they  leave  they 
must  wear  leather  mitts  day  and  night,  and  are  obliged 
to  eat  on  all  fours  ;  strong  purgatives  are  administered, 
and  other  means  taken  to  prevent  their  stealing.  One 
boy  cut  his  leg  and  inserted  several  diamonds  and  almost 
died  from  lock-jaw.      The  stories  one  hears  of  the  various 


) 


I 


EMM  J   J.   BARTOL  265 

ways  of  stealing  make  an  astounding  history.  The  num- 
ber employed  in  the  De  Beers  mine  is  5,000. 

Africa  is  just  now  suffering  from  the  rhindpest, 
thousands  of  oxen  are  being  shot  and  there  bids  fair  to 
be  a  famine.  Already  the  farmers  who  have  lost  their 
cattle  are  reduced  from  affluence  to  starvation  and  the 
misery  is  terrible.  The  vast  arid  plains  without  timber 
or  water  make  me  think  of  what  I  have  heard  of  the 
great  steppes  of  Russia. 

On  October  13,  I  start  for  Cape  Town  in  the  mail 
train,  which  only  goes  once  a  week.  From  6  a.  m.  it 
takes  all  that  day,  all  night  and  the  next  day  to  reach 
Cape  Town,  where  I  hope  to  get  mail,  not  having  heard 
from  the  United  States  since  last  May.  By-the-bye  I 
am  still  below  the  equator.  October  answers  here  to  our 
April,  so  it  is  Spring  here,  but  it  is  very  warm  and  they 
have  had  no  rains  for  months.  I  think  one  would  dry 
up  and  blow  away  pretty  soon." 

Travelling  in  Africa  is  anything  but  a  pleasant 
pastime.  The  cars  are  dirty  ;  there  are  only  coarse,  gray 
blankets  in  the  sleepers  ;  the  trains  run  about  ten  miles 
an  hour  on  a  single  track  and  are  frequently  shunted  on 
switches;  the  eating  accommodations  are  miserable  and  the 
scenery  monotonous  and  uninteresting.  It  was  a  great 
relief  to  reach  Cape  Town,  on  the  southwestern  point,  a 
modern  and  thriving  city,  with  a  fine  Parliament  House 
and  other  public  buildings.  Here  to  my  joy  I  found 
forty-one  letters,  the  first  I  had  received  in  five  months. 

Cape  Town,  Oct.  25,  1896. 

"  I  am  now  living  at  a  fashionable  sea-side  resort 
with  the  booming  of  the  broad  Atlantic  sounding  in  my 


266  RECOLLECTIONS   OF  A  TRAVELLER 

ears  and  the  long  surf  constantly  rolling  up  and  dashing 
in  foam  on  the  immense  boulders  that  have  fallen  down 
from  the  grand  mountains  just  behind  the  house.  Cape 
Town  is  at  the  foot  of  Table  Mountain  which  rises  im- 
mediately behind  the  city.  It  is  3,350  feet  high,  a  sheer 
precipice  of  granite,  one  of  the  most  imposing  mountains 
I  have  seen  ;  it  is  straight  and  flat  and  on  the  top  of  it 
is  a  lake  or  reservoir  large  enough  for  a  steam  launch. 
This  lake  supplies  the  town  with  water.  The  width 
around  the  base  is  thirty-four  miles,  sixteen  of  which  are 
on  the  face  of  the  cliffs  with  the  Atlantic  dashing  in  white 
foam  on  the  precipitous  rocks.  This  '  Victoria  Drive ' 
is  considered  to  be  one  of  the  finest  in  the  world.  The 
whole  distance  is  enlivened  by  the  most  magnificent  dis- 
play of  wild  flowers.  Imagine  immense  masses  of  Lady 
Washington  pelargoniums  peeping  behind  boulders  of 
rocks,  the  setting  sun  lighting  up  the  bright  pink  masses 
of  geraniums  till  the  mountain  seems  on  fire.  The 
forests  are  full  of  calla  lilies  ;  they  grow  all  along  the 
brooks,  and  there  are  hedges  of  oleanders.  I  could  fill 
pages  with  descriptions  of  the  flowers  and  trees  alone. 

You  all  complain  that  so  long  a  time  elapses  with- 
out hearing  from  me.  I  was  twenty-one  days  on  the 
ocean  going  from  Sydney  to  Ceylon.  If  I  wrote  on  the 
ship  I  could  not  mail  it  for  three  weeks.  From  Maur- 
itius to  Africa  required  ten  days.  Most  of  the  ocean 
voyages  have  been  about  two  weeks.  The  mail  service 
has  been  infrequent  and  if  we  did  not  arrive  in  time  for 
the  out-going  mail  one  or  two  weeks  were  lost. 

I  expect  to  leave  here  November  5th,  in  the 
"  Guelph",   for   Teneriffe,   one   of  the   Canary    Islands. 


EMMA  J.   BARTOL  267 

They  say  Cape  Town  is  the  place  to  buy  African  parrots. 
I  have  not  seen  any  for  sale  nor  do  I  expect  to  get  any, 
as  they  are  a  nuisance  on  railroads  and  in  steamers,  and 
add  so  to  the  baggage.  I  see  nothing  curious  enough 
to  buy  or  bring  back.  Everything  is  brought  from 
England.  I  could  not  buy  diamonds  at  the  mines — not 
allowed  to  by  law.  All  the  stones  go  to  Amsterdam  to 
be  cut,  then  to  London  to  be  sold.  I  am  now  staying 
at  a  seaside  resort  half  an  hour  by  rail  from  Cape  Town. 
My  room  has  five  windows  with  superb  views  of  the 
long  line  of  surf,  beating  and  chafing  on  the  mighty  rocks 
that  have  been  hurled  down  from  the  sides  of  the  moun- 
tains. On  one  part  of  Table  Mountain  is  seen  the  silver 
tree,  indigenous  here  and  growing  nowhere  else.  I  trav- 
elled day  and  night  through  Natal,  the  South  African 
Republic,  the  Transvaal  and  Cape  Colony,  1800  miles 
by  train.  From  Cape  Town  to  Southampton,  England, 
it  is  5,970  miles.  I  expect  to  break  the  journey  at  Ten- 
eriffe,  Madeira  and  Spain." 


268  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

On  Shipboard,  Nov.  n,  1896. 

"  I  know  you  will  be  glad  to  hear  that  I  have  at 
last  turned  my  face  Northward.  Yes,  every  mile  now 
brings  me  nearer  to  you  !  I  have  left  the  Pacific  and 
Indian  Oceans,  on  which  I  spent  so  many  weeks  sailing, 
sailing, — generally  on  calm  blue  seas,  but  now  and  again 
a  little  wobbly,  and  occasionally  giving  us  a  good  tossing. 
The  voyages  have  been  very  restful.  On  land  there  was 
always  so  much  to  see  and  do,  such  a  feverish  excitement 
in  all  the  new  surroundings  ;  then  there  was  sketching, 
writing  and  reading  up  about  the  places.  I  was  delighted 
with  Africa.  The  whole  of  the  journey  from  Durban, 
where  I  landed,  to  Johannesburg  is  through  the  grandest 
and  wildest  scenery  imaginable,  in  and  out  among  lofty 
mountains,  climbing  nearly  to  the  top,  some  of  them 
going  round  sharp  curves  of  deep  canyons  and  anon, 
passing  for  hours  over  an  immense  plain  without  trees, 
shrubs,  or  grass,  the  great  herds  of  cattle  in  the  distance 
looking  like  ants. 

Speaking  of  ants  reminds  me  of  how  these  vast  areas 
are  covered  with  millions  of  ant  hills,  varying  in  size 
from  one  to  three  yards  high  and  measuring  two  yards 
and  more  around.  They  have  their  enemy,  the  ant 
eater,  and  you  can  see  where  he  has  broken  open  the 
sides  of  their  dwellings  and  licked  up  the  poor  little  busy 
ants  by  the  thousand.  Truly  this  is  a  strange  world 
where  we  are  all  made  to  eat  one  another,  or  more  prop- 


HOW1CK 


FALLS   DURBAN 


AFRICA 


EMMA  J.   BARTOL  269 

erly  speaking,  to  live  on  one  another.  There  is  a  box 
on  board  belonging  to  one  of  the  deck  hands  containing 
a  lot  of  chameleons  ;  they  are  about  four  inches  long  and 
of  all  shades.  I  saw  a  black  one,  when  put  on  a  cabbage 
leaf,  gradually  turn  green.  The  tongue  seemed  to  be 
about  half  the  length  of  the  body  with  a  thick  club  at 
the  end.  They  dart  out  this  tongue  with  lightning 
rapidity  and  never  miss  their  game.  The  unsuspecting 
flies  thoughtlessly  sit  and  gaze  at  them,  or  impudently 
perch  on  their  back,  or  even  travel  over  their  queer  eyes, 
which  roll  about  in  the  most  extraordinary  manner. 

I  fancy  this  may  reach  you  about  the  holidays,  and 
it  may  not  be  out  of  place  now  to  wish  you  a  Merry 
Christmas  and  a  Happy  New  Year,  for  the  next  letter 
may  be  a  long  time  reaching  you. 

We  had  a  sixteen  days'  journey  from  Cape  Town 
to  the  Canary  Islands,  a  part  of  it  very  enervating 
because  of  the  heat,  as  we  were  near  the  Equator.  One 
poor  Italian  steerage  passenger  ended  it  by  jumping  over- 
board. We  were  glad  to  swing  around  Cape  Verde  and 
approach  the  end  of  our  journey.  On  November  23  we 
saw  a  mere  speck  on  the  distant  waste  of  waters  which 
we  were  told  was  the  island  of  our  destination,  and  when 
the  sun  rose  grandly  the  next  morning  we  were  safely 
anchored  in  the  Bav  of  Orotava,  off  the  coast  of  Ten- 
eriffe,  which  is  the  largest  of  the  seven  Canary  Islands." 

The  English  Grand  Hotel,  Port  Orotava, 

Dec.  5,  1896. 

"Yours  of  July  19  received  on  arrival  at  Cape  Town 
in  October.      My  journeyings    have   been    so   extensive 


270  RECOLLECTIONS  OE  A   TRAVELLER 

and  so  varied  it  would  be  impossible  to  cope  with  them 
in  a  letter.  At  Cape  Town  I  stayed  six  weeks  and  regret 
that  I  did  not  stay  longer.  The  scenery  around  is  grand 
and  I  liked  it  better  than  anything  I  had  seen.  I  was 
invited  out  to  tea  and  was  just  getting  acquainted.  The 
temperature  for  winter  is  from  6o°  to  8o°,  warm  and 
sunny.  Thev  have  electric  tramways  and  the  steam  ser- 
vice is  frequent  and  good.  There  is  a  fine  port  and  we 
landed  like  Christians.  One  sees  all  nations  represented 
in  the  streets.  Just  now  the  steamers  are  over-crowded 
with  adventurers  from  all  countries  bound  for  the  gold 
and  diamond  mines. 

I  am  now  5,500  miles  nearer  home  than  when  1 
left  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  I  was  sixteen  days  on 
water  and  had  an  ideal  trip.  I  crossed  the  Equator  for 
the  eighth  time.  Up  till  then  we  had  the  trade  winds 
and  currents  every  hour,  no  swells,  hardly  a  whitecap 
and  scarcely  a  ripple  to  disturb  our  equanimity  the  entire 
voyage.  Unless  we  looked  over  the  side  and  saw  the 
white-flecked  waves  going  swiftly  past,  we  could  not 
imagine  the  vessel  was  moving.  All  sorts  of  games, 
concerts  and  dancing  amused  the  passengers.  I  read 
much,  as  they  had  a  fine  library,  painted,  and  wrote  ten 
letters  ;  the  men  smoked,  the  women  gossipped.  It  was 
a  pleasant  ship,  not  gaudy  but  very  comfortable. 

I  have  been  at  Teneriffe  nearly  two  weeks.  This 
is  getting  to  be  a  fashionable  winter  resort  for  the  Eng- 
lish, instead  of  Madeira  which  is  colder  and  damper,  and 
where  there  is  typhoid  fever.  I  may  go  there  for  a  short 
time,  and  thence  to  Portugal  and  Spain.      It  seems  quite 


z 


■J. 


EMMA  J.   BARTOL  271 

homelike  to  be  on  the  Atlantic   once   more  after  travel- 
ling for  weeks  on  the  Pacific  and  Indian  Oceans." 

We  remained  nearly  seven   weeks   in   this   pleasant 
and   picturesque  spot,   going  occasionally  to  the    town 
of  Orotava,  four   miles   away,  a  quaint  village   built   on 
steep  hills,  the  houses  of  Moorish  design  with  overhang- 
ing  balconies.     The   immense    variety  and   quantity  of 
flowers  was   a   never-ending   delight   and    I    transferred 
many  of  them   to   canvas.      I    also  sketched  again  and 
again  the  wonderful  Peak   of  Teneriffe,  in  the  glow   of 
the  rising   and   of  the   setting  sun,  and   half  buried  in 
clouds.      It  rises  to  a  height  of  12,182  feet  in  the  center 
of  this   small  island,  which  contains  also  a    number  of 
other  volcanic  mountains. 

We  went  from  Port  Orotava  to  stay  a  few  days  at 
Santa  Cruz,  and  on  January  10,  1897,  we  set  sail  for  the 
Madeira  Islands,  a  voyage  of  three  days,  the  shortest  we 
had  yet  made.  Madeira  Island  is  the  largest  of  this  little 
group  of  five,  about  320  miles  ofF  the  northwestern  coast 
of  Africa.  It  is  a  mass  of  volcanic  rocks,  it  highest  peak 
rising  6,000  feet,  with  a  chain  of  ridges  from  1,000  to 
5,000  feet  high,  and  among  these  and  along  the  coast  is 
the  most  fertile  soil  on  the  globe.  This  is  terraced  and 
every  foot  of  it  cultivated.  Here  are  grown  the  finest 
grapes  and  every  kind  of  tropical  fruit,  while  high  up 
among  the  mountains  are  raised  the  fruits  and  grains  of 
the  temperate  zone. 

These  islands  have  belonged  to  the  Portuguese  by 
right  of  discovery  since  141 9,  and  Funchal,  the  capital, 
was  created  a  city  in  1508.      It  is  now  a   coaling  station 


272  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

for  steamers  from  all  parts  of  the  world,  while  its  equable 
and  delightful  climate  renders  it  a  popular  resort  for  in- 
valids and  pleasure  seekers.  One  or  two  letters  must 
suffice  for  my  own  experiences  there. 

Funchal,  Jan.  18,  1897. 

"  This  letter  is  to  go  in  the  steamer  which  comes 
from  Cape  Town  and  touches  here  for  passengers  and 
the  mails  for  England.  I  enjoyed  my  stay  of  over  six 
weeks  in  Teneriffe  very  much  ;  the  climate  is  perfect,  the 
views  grand,  the  flowers  fascinating.  There  were  thirty 
English  families  residing  there  permanently  ;  they  have 
a  very  pretty  little  church  and  a  small  but  select  society. 
The  hotel  was  large  and  handsome,  with  electric  lights 
and  modern  plumbing ;  there  were  from  sixty  to  eighty 
guests,  mostly  English,  with  a  sprinkling  of  foreigners. 
I  was  invited  a  good  deal  outside  the  hotel. 

The  roads  were  very  fine  and  carriage  riding  a 
pleasure.  They  were  lined  with  both  double  and  single 
scarlet  geraniums  growing  wild  and  enlivening  the  rocks 
and  crevices.  The  bougainvillea  and  Cherokee  roses 
blazed  in  immense  masses  from  the  hedges.  The  hotel 
was  beautifully  situated  on  the  edge  of  a  lava  heap  so 
steep  it  required  many  steps  to  descend  to  the  picturesque 
Port  of  Orotava.  The  surf  dashed  up  in  the  great  piles 
of  rock  which  had  been  hurled  down  by  convulsions  of 
nature.  The  garden  was  beautiful  and  contained  an 
aviary  and  many  fish  ponds  filled  with  gold  and  silver 
fish  and  fancy  ducks.  As  everything  depended  on  water, 
there  were  innumerable  canals  and  reservoirs  all  filled 
from    the  mountain  springs   and   melting  snow   on  the 


EMM  J  J.   BARTOL  273 


peaks.  I  had  two  windows  and  a  balcony  which  I  en- 
joyed very  much,  and  I  often  rose  before  daylight  to 
sketch  the  peak  with  the  rosy  light  of  dawn  on  the  snow. 
I  find  Madeira  also  very  beautiful,  with  the  same  lava 
flow  and  formation.  I  have  a  delightful  room  here  ;  the 
hotel  is  250  feet  above  the  sea,  built  on  a  precipitous 
rock  which  is  terraced  down  to  the  water's  edge.  I  have 
two  windows,  a  corner  with  east,  south  and  west  exposure 
and  two  balconies.  The  garden  is  also  terraced  and 
stairs  go  down  to  the  sea.  The  *  red  hot  poker '  grows 
in  wild  profusion  all  over  the  edge  of  the  cliff;  the 
bougainvillea  of  different  shades  grows  wild  in  immense 
masses,  as  also  scarlet  geraniums  which  show  off  to  ad- 
vantage against  the  dark  lava  rocks.  Yesterday  I  was 
invited  to  4  o'clock  tea  in  a  very  pretty  house  1,500  feet 
above  sea  level.  I  went  up  in  a  basket  sledge  drawn  by 
two  docile  oxen,  a  small  boy  running  in  front  of  them, 
and  a  man  behind  with  a  prod;  the  angle  was  not  less 
than  forty-five  degrees.  I  came  down  in  a  smaller 
basket  sled,  two  men  guiding  it  with  ropes.  It  was 
frightful  and  I  never  will  do  it  again.  The  garden  around 
the  house  was  filled  with  beautiful  fern  creepers,  immense 
camellias  of  all  colors  as  large  as  lilac  bushes,  'red  hot 
poker,'  and  large  blue  periwinkle,  all  wild ;  also  wax 
plants,  night  blooming  cereus,  and  cacti  of  all  sorts." 

Funchal,  Jan.  24,  1897. 

"  Your  Christmas  letter  of  December  25  received 
January  13,  on  my  arrival  here.     *     *     :i:     *     * 

I  have  been  much  impressed  with  the  aggressive 
and  heartless  spirit  of  the  English  in  the  various  colonies 


274 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  A  TRAVELLER 


visited,  and  it  was  brought  forcibly  home  the  other  day 
in  speaking  of  some  Officers  who  went  on  a  peaceful 
mission  to  a  King  in  West  Africa.  It  is  supposed  they 
were  all  murdered.  In  commenting  on  it  the  English 
papers  said,  c  In  carrying  a  basket  of  eggs,  some  are  sure 
to  be  broken.'  It  is  in  this  spirit  that  England  has  con- 
quered everywhere.  Well,  it  may  be  a  grand  nation,  but 
it  has  been  made  so  through  rivers  of  blood.  Now  they 
are  going  to  exterminate  that  African  King  and  crush  his 
people.      ***** 

So  far  my  health  has  been  perfect.  I  eat  everything, 
enjoy  everything,  take  long  walks,  climb  up  and  down 
steep  hills  and  so  far  can  beat  all  the  young  people  I 
meet.  I  particularly  enjoy  the  ocean  trips.  In  regard 
to  outlining  my  journey,  I  never  have  done  it.  I  just 
drift,  I  might  say  with  the  tide.  I  have  never  planned ; 
when  I  get  tired  of  a  place  I  move  on  in  the  first  desira- 
ble steamer  that  happens  along.  This  I  am  about  to  do 
now.  The  Fiirst  Bismarck  is  expected  here  February 
i — an  excursion  boat  from  the  Mediterranean  to  the 
United  States.  Some  of  the  ladies  here  expect  to  go  in 
it  and  I  shall  embrace  the  opportunity  and  go  with  them 
to  Gibraltar,  take  a  run  over  to  Tangiers,  return  and  go 
through  a  portion  of  Spain,  and  spend  the  month  of 
April  in  Nice.  Before  I  return  I  shall  probably  go  to 
Paris  or  London.  As  for  setting  dates  I  cannot ;  I 
shall  wait  for  a  good  steamer  to  cross  the  Atlantic. 

This  peculiar  town  rises  so  precipitously  from  the 
sea  that  it  is  impossible  to  go  up  the  streets  in  ordinary 
vehicles.  I  send  a  view  of  the  modes  of  transit.  The 
hammock  holds  one  person,  is  swung  on  a  pole  and  car- 


EMMA  J.  BARTOL  275 


ried  by  two  men.  The  carro  holds  four  comfortably  and 
is  like  a  large  sled.  The  oxen  have  holes  drilled  in  their 
horns  and  leather  thongs  inserted  and  are  led  by  a  small 
boy.  A  man  goes  behind  with  a  goad  to  urge  them  on. 
The  frame  is  wicker  and  the  runners  are  shod  with  iron. 
The  man  carries  a  bag  of  grease  which  he  slips  under  the 
runners  occasionally  to  make  them  slide.  Another  carro 
is  a  smaller  basket  also  on  runners  with  seats  for  two 
persons,  and  this  is  pulled  by  two  men  with  ropes." 

We  made  many  trips,  among  the  mountains,  one  by 
horse-car  and  omnibus,  and  finally  a  cog-wheel  railroad 
to  Mount  Church,  2,000  feet  up  among  the  cliffs  and 
commanding  a  beautiful  view.  On  another  day  we  were 
carried  in  hammocks  along  the  dizzy  edges  of  ravines  to 
the  Grand  Curral,  where  one  has  unrivalled  mountain 
scenery.  We  went  to  the  Portuguese  and  the  English 
cemeteries  and  had  picturesque  rambles  without  number. 


276  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

After  a  three  weeks'  stay  at  Maderia  we  sailed  on 
February  4  in  the  Fiirst  Bismarck  for  Gibraltar,  only  a 
two  days'  voyage.  It  was  most  enjoyable  to  step  once 
more  on  the  continent  of  Europe,  which  seemed  almost 
like  home  compared  to  the  countries  in  which  we  had 
spent  the  past  year.  We  remained  here  for  a  few  hours 
and  then  went  on  to  Malaga,  where  we  left  the  steamer 
and  took  a  little  run  into  the  interior  of  Spain.  I  find 
but  one  brief  letter  describing  this  interesting  trip. 

Gibraltar,  February  16,  1897. 

"  From  Malaga  we  went  to  Grenada  where  the  Em- 
press Eugenie  was  born.  It  is  a  most  picturesque  city 
situated  in  an  immense  valley.  The  Sierra  Nevada 
mountains  rise  in  snowy  majesty  on  one  side  and  at 
evening  they  are  rosy  with  the  setting  sun.  The  weather 
was  cold  but  brilliant  and  clear.  The  great  attraction,  of 
course,  is  the  wonderful  ruin  of  the  Alhambra.  It  would 
be  impossible  to  describe  the  delicacy  of  the  fine  work 
on  the  interior  buildings ;  it  must  be  seen  to  be  appreci- 
ated. 

Returning  to  Gibraltar  we  stopped  at  Ronda,  which  is 
built  in  a  deep  gorge.  Standing  on  a  bridge  at  the  market 
place  the  depth  to  the  bottom  is  602  feet,  where  one 
sees  water-falls  and  a  turbulent  stream  rushing  along  and 
turning  many  mills.    The  donkeys  with  meal  bags  on  their 


EMMA  J.  BARTOL  277 

backs  and    the  men  and  women  look  from  the  height 
above  like  the  toys  in  Noah's  ark. 

The  scenery,  both  going  to  Grenada  and  returning 
by  another  route,  was  grand,  the  road  running  in  and 
out  narrow  defiles,  with  stupendous  mountains  on  either 
side,  cultivated  nearly  to  the  top  wherever  there  was  a 
handful  of  earth  in  which  to  grow  anything.  We  passed 
thousands  of  olive  trees,  forests  of  cork  trees  and  miles 
and  miles  of  almond  trees  in  full  blossom,  some  rosy  red, 
some  snow  white  and  others  varigated.  They  contrasted 
beautifully  with  the  sombre  blue  green  of  the  olives. 
The  fleur  de  lis  and  many  other  spring  flowers  adorned 
the    road   side.     The    trip    occupied    a    little    over    one 

We  returned  to  Gibraltar  and  remained  for  a  week, 
finding  much  of  interest  to  occupy  the  time,  with  charm- 
ing drives  and  walks  and  a  never  ending  series  of  beau- 
tiful views.  After  so  many  months  in  a  tropical  or 
semi-tropical  climate  we  suffered  a  great  deal  from  the 
cold.  On  February  19  we  crossed  the  strait  to  Tan- 
giers  for  a  few  days.  As  we  sailed  away  the  setting  sun 
lighted  up  Gibraltar  with  a  flood  of  golden  hue,  and  the 
windows  shone  like  great  diamonds,  tier  above  tier — a 
glorious  sight. 

We  soon  went  back  to  the  coast  of  Spain  and  landed 
at  Cadiz.  This  very  old  place,  which  was  well  known 
in  the  time  of  Julius  Caeser,  has  been  the  object  of  many 
a  siege  and  has  belonged  to  half  a  dozen  different  nations. 
It  is  a  handsome  and  strongly  fortified  city  and  stands 


278  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

on  a  narrow  tongue  of  land  extending  five  miles  into  the 
water. 

After  four  or  five  days  here  we  went  up  to  the 
ancient  city  of  Seville,  surrounded  by  five  miles  of 
Moorish  walls,  with  many  gates  and  towers.  Its  ram- 
parts now  are  fine  promenades.  Within  it  has  an  oriental 
appearance  with  narrow  and  crooked  streets.  Extending 
through  the  city  is  the  Alameda,  a  magnificent  boulevard 
shaded  with  elms  and  decorated  with  statues  and  foun- 
tains. There  are  also  many  fine  public  walks.  At  one 
side  is  the  Quemaders,  the  "burning  place"  of  the  In- 
quisition. The  Cathedral  here  is  the  largest  in  Spain 
and  there  is  a  museum  of  some  of  the  rarest  paintings  and 
sculptures  in  existence.  There  are  many  handsome  pub- 
lic buildings,  a  large  university,  a  number  of  colleges  and 
some  fine  libraries,  while  the  city  is  noted  for  its  charit- 
able institutions.  We  visited  the  Alcazar  and  other 
palaces,  the  Golden  Tower,  the  celebrated  tile  and  cigar- 
ette factories  and  the  home  of  Cortez.  We  were  fortu- 
nate in  seeing  a  carnival,  the  streets  being  filled  with 
students  and  dancing  girls  in  picturesque  costumes. 

At  Cordova  we  had  the  same  experience,  the  streets 
being  crowded  with  masqueraders  throwing  eggs  which 
broke  and  showered  gaily  colored  confetti.  The  Spanish 
enter  into  these  festivals  with  more  gayety  and  abandon 
than  Americans.  After  dinner  five  little  girls,  dressed  in 
yellow  skirts  covered  with  black  lace,  red  sashes  and 
black  velvet  boleras,  gave  Spanish  dances  with  castanets 
in  the  wide  hall  of  the  hotel — an  exceedingly  pretty  and 
graceful  performance. 

Cordova  was  founded  by  the  ancient  Romans  and, 
while  parts  of  the  city  are  now  overgrown  gardens  and 


EMMA  J.  BARTOL  279 


ruins,  it  has  some  beautiful  squares  surrounded  by  large 
and  handsome  houses.  Its  magnificent  stone  bridge, 
defended  by  a  Saracen  Castle,  was  built  by  the  Moors  in 
the  8th  century.  The  Cathedral,  which  was  the  holy  of 
holies  in  the  Mahommedan  world,  is  a  labyrinth  of 
columns  brought  from  various  temples  around  the  Medi- 
terranean. Of  these  850  out  of  the  original  1200  still 
remain.  There  is  also  a  Bishop's  palace  and  forty  or 
fifty  convents,  but  the  glory  of  this  capital  of  Andalusia 
and  home  of  kings  has  long  since  departed. 

We  went  from  Cordova  to  Madrid,  where  we  ling- 
ered for  a  week.  We  secured  rooms  in  a  hotel  facing  the 
Government  House,  where  we  would  watch  the  pictur- 
esque crowds  pass  by.  This  capital  city  of  modern 
Spain  is  not  particularly  interesting.  It  is  walled  in  and 
entered  by  many  gates,  some  of  them  extremely  hand- 
some. The  streets  are  broad  and  long,  and  some  of  the 
squares  are  very  large  and  surrounded  by  houses  sup- 
ported by  granite  pillars  which  form  arcades.  The 
Plaza  de  Oriente,  facing  the  royal  palace,  contains  forty 
statues  of  Gothic  and  Spanish  Kings.  In  the  Plaza  de 
la  Cortes  stands  the  heroic  statue  of  Cervantes.  There 
are  also  some  beautiful  gardens  and  many  fountains. 
The  royal  palace  is  considered  perhaps  the  finest  in  exist- 
ence, a  combination  of  Doric  and  Ionic  architecture. 
The  Chamber  of  Deputies  is  also  a  magnificent  structure 
and  most  of  the  Government  buildings  are  very  impos- 
ing. The  Royal  Museum  of  Painting  and  Sculpture 
contains  the  masterpieces  of  the  world.  Many  of  its 
2000  pictures  are  by  the  most  celebrated  artists  that 
have  ever  lived.      Everybody  goes  of  course  to  the  Plaza 


280  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

de  Toros,  the  "  bull  ring,"  a  building  capable  of  seating 
12,000  persons.  We  were  not  there  in  the  season  for 
the  bull  fights.  In  the  Prado,  extending  for  two  miles, 
one  sees  at  certain  hours  of  the  day  all  the  rank  and 
wealth  of  the  city  in  their  splendid  equipages.  We  little 
dreamed,  as  we  saw  all  the  pomp  and  display,  that  in 
another  year  our  country  would  be  at  war  with  Spain  and 
would  deal  its  prestige  a  blow  from  which  it  would 
require  generations  to  recover. 

A  ride  of  over  300  miles  through  wild  and  rugged 
scenery  brought  us  to  Barcelona  on  the  coast  of  the 
Mediterranean.  We  enjoyed  our  four  or  five  days  here 
more  than  the  stay  in  Madrid,  for  we  found  the  climate 
much  milder  and  the  ancient  city  more  interesting.  Its 
founding  antedates  the  Christian  era  and  it  is  a  curious 
mingling  of  old  and  new.  These  two  portions  are 
divided  by  a  beautiful  tree-bordered  promenade  called 
La  Rambla,  which  extends  from  the  farthest  walls  to  the 
shore.  There  are  also  many  other  unrivalled  prom- 
enades. The  new  part  is  built  up  in  brick  and  stone  and 
has  all  the  modern  improvements.  The  old  part  has  the 
narrow,  crooked,  unpaved  streets  of  centuries  ago.  On 
its  highest  point  stands  the  Cathedral,  which  had  its 
origin  in  the  earliest  days  of  Christianity,  although  the 
present  Gothic  structure  was  built  in  the  13th  century. 
It  is  approached  by  a  lofty  flight  of  steps  and  its  two 
towers  command  an  almost  endless  view  of  mountains  and 
sea.  We  went  to  the  old  fortress,  situated  on  a  rocky 
eminence  of  seven   or   eight   hundred  feet,  and   to   the 


EMMA  J.  BARTOL  281 

monastary  of  Montserat,  or  Jaggard  Mountain,  an  isolated 
spur  of  the  Pyrenees,  3,500  feet  in  height. 

Finally  we  started  for  Marseilles,  making  the  jour- 
ney by  rail  and  stopping  over  night  at  Cerbes.  We  had 
had  no  unpleasant  experiences  in  Spain,  and  met  but  few 
travellers ;  the  Spanish  people  were  all  civil  and  glad  to 
have  our  money.  I  was  very  tired,  however,  of  living 
in  marble  halls  and  palaces,  with  stone  stairs  and  floors 
and  pillars,  cold,  dark  and  damp.  The  cathedrals  are 
superb  but  gloomy  and  musty  and  I  was  glad  to  turn 
my  steps  toward  modern  life  with  its  comforts  and  ad- 
vantages. 

At  Marseilles  we  rested  for  a  few  days  and  here  I 
dismissed  the  courier,  who  had  gone  with  us  almost 
around  the  world,  and  with  my  maid  I  took  the  train 
for  Nice. 


282  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

The  most  ornate  descriptions  fail  utterly  to  give  an 
adequate  idea  of  Southern  France  in  Springtime.  There 
is  nothing  on  earth  any  nearer  the  popular  idea  of  Para- 
dise. I  have  come  across  two  letters  that  I  wrote  from 
there  of  which  I  will  use  a  portion. 

Nice,  France,  March  25,  1897. 

"  I  arrived  at  my  son's  March  20th.  The  next  day 
it  was  exactly  one  year  since  I  left  San  Francisco  on  the 
"Belgic"  for  the  Sandwich  Islands.  How  many  long 
miles  I  have  been  since  then  and  how  much  I  have  seen ! 
H.  and  H.  met  me  at  the  station  with  their  Victoria  and 
quickly  drove  me  to  their  lovely  apartments."     *     *     * 

To-day  occurred  the  battle  of  flowers.  It  was  very 
pretty;  first  there  were  gendarmes,  then  ushers  in  scarlet 
cloth,  mounted  on  superb  horses.  H.  and  H.  went  early 
to  the  market  and  bought  immense  bouquets,  which  were 
put  in  the  place  of  the  lamps  on  the  Victoria,  and  the 
horses'  heads  were  tied  with  long  streamers  of  pink  ribbon. 
They  bought  two  baskets  of  small  bouquets  to  fight  with. 
There  were  benches  all  along  the  drive  for  the  people  to 
sit  on,  and  tents  with  seats  for  the  rich.  Bands  of  music 
were  stationed  at  intervals.  You  enter  at  the  gate,  pay- 
ing a  fee,  but  you  cannot  go  in  unless  you  are  decorated 
with  flowers.  As  you  proceed  people  throw  bouquets  at 
you  and  you  return  them  with  interest.  Every  one 
carries  a  fan  to  ward  off  the  blows  which  are  pretty  hard 
sometimes.    It  would  be  impossible  to  describe  the  deco- 


EMM  J  J.  BARTOL  283 


rations,  but  some  were  unique.  One  cart  was  drawn  by- 
two  small  donkeys,  with  a  dog  on  one  as  a  postillion, 
dressed  as  Yankee  Doodle  in  scarlet  and  white.  A  liberty- 
bell  was  suspended  over  the  cart  in  which  sat  two  little 
girls  arrayed  in  white.  It  was  covered  with  flowers  and 
the  two  girls  were  pelting  every  one  with  blossoms  and 
being  pelted  in  turn.  One  large  vehicle  represented  a 
hay  wagon  and  was  filled  with  French  officers  and  young 
girls  all  decorated.  There  was  a  tally-ho  covered  with 
flowers.  In  some  cases  the  harness,  the  reins  and  traces 
were  all  flowers.  One  was  covered  with  German  corn 
flowers  and  yellow  jonquils.  H.  wore  green  velvet  and 
a  hat  covered  with  flowers  and  sat  on  the  box  with  the 
coachmen.  I  can  assure  you  we  had  our  share  of  being 
pelted  and  we  were  literally  covered  with  flowers  and 
bouquets." 

Nice,  France,  April  13,  1897. 

"  I  have  now  been  here  nearly  a  month.  Nice  is  a 
very  beautiful  city  and  much  changed  since  I  was  here 
long,  long  ago.  It  is  now  the  favorite  abode  of  royalty 
and,  as  such,  draws  Princes  and  Princesses,  Dukes  and 
Duchesses  and  titled  folk  till  they  are  as  numerous  as 
mushrooms  in  an  old  meadow. 

I  arrived  a  few  days  after  Queen  Victoria,  so  I  have 
been  all  in  the  swim.  The  Queen  and  I  drive  out  every 
day — but  not  together  !  The  Queen  drives  in  an  open 
carriage ;  an  outrider  precedes  her,  who  wears  a  tall, 
black  silk  hat,  white  knee  breeches,  top  boots,  and  rides 
a  fine  white  horse.  I  do  not  have  any  outrider,  but  I  do 
not  care  for  that.  Victoria  wears  a  large  black  hat  with 
a  black  lace  veil,  is  dressed  all   in   black   and  crouches 


284  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

down  in  one  corner.  Perhaps  she  is  modest  and  does 
not  like  to  be  stared  at,  for  every  one  gazes  at  her,  when 
they  see  the  tall  black  hat  of  the  outrider  on  the  white 
charger.  I  think  she  ought  to  be  used  to  it  by  this 
time.  Some  say  I  look  better  than  she  does,  for  I  sit 
up  straight,  have  a  brand  new  bonnet  with  tall,  white 
feathers  and  don't  care  if  people  do  look  at  me.  The 
Queen  and  I  enjoy  Nice  immensely,  at  least  the  papers 
state  she  does,  and  I  am  sure  I  do.  I  have  been  so  gay 
since  my  arrival  that  I  hardly  know  myself,  and  have 
had  scarcely  a  minute  to  spare.  It  has  been  one  round 
of  gaiety,  receptions,  teas,  concerts,  theatre  parties,  pic- 
nics and  excursions,  for  the  environs  of  Nice  are  beautiful. 

You  have  heard  of  the  famous  Corniche  Road  ;  the 
most  beautiful  part  is  from  here  to  the  equally  famous 
Monte  Carlo.  The  carriage  road  goes  up  and  up  4,000 
feet  of  the  Alps,  giving  the  most  exquisite  views  of  the 
range  of  snowy  mountains  on  one  side,  with  the  blue 
Mediterranean  on  the  other.  Beautiful  villas  dot  the 
way  in  quick  succession.  The  road  is  lined  with  hedges 
of  tea  roses  and  Jacques,  geraniums  and  palms  of  all 
varieties,  for  it  never  freezes  here,  and  one  passes  orange 
and  lemon  groves,  which  just  now  are  in  full  flower,  as 
are  also  the  lilacs,  wisteria,  and  hawthorn. 

The  climate  is  delightful,  ranging  from  58  °  to  78 °. 
I  am  sitting  with  windows  wide  open,  and  fires  are  seldom 
needed  even  in  winter.  I  am  in  very  handsome  apart- 
ments in  the  most  aristocratic  quarter  of  Nice  and  about 
one  square  away  from  the  sea  and  the  principal  prom- 
enade, of  which  I  send  you  a  picture.  The  building  in 
the  water  is  the  casino  and  theatre.      Not  far   from   here 


EMM  J  J.  BARTOL  285 

Lord  Salisbury  has  his  villa,  also  the  ex-Empress  Eugenia. 
The  Prince  of  Wales  has  been  sailing  his  yachts  with  the 
others  and  it  was  a  very  pretty  sight. 

As  I  said,  I  am  all  in  the  swim  and  I  must  keep  on 
swimming.  The  papers  state  Victoria  leaves  April 
28th.  I  expect  to  leave  April  24th  for  Paris,  where  I 
want  to  stay  the  month  of  May  then  go  to  London  for 
the  Jubilee.  I  think  if  the  Queen  knew  of  my  plans 
she  would  be  polite  enough  to  ask  me  to  take  a  seat  in 
her  carriage  in  the  procession  ;  but  I  have  no  time  to 
write  to  Her  Majesty,  and  in  truth  the  whole  of  the 
details  are  planned  for  her  and  she  has  to  do  as  she  is 
told. 

I  have  been  to  a  very  handsome  reception  given  by  the 
Governor  of  the  Province  to  introduce  his  eldest  daughter 
to  society.  The  dressing  was  immense  with  all  the 
diamonds  of  Golconda  and  Johannesberg  combined. 
The  Governor  lives  in  a  palace  in  regal  style,  the  salons 
and  decorations  being  very  grand.  My  room  looks  on 
a  garden  full  of  orange  trees  in  bloom,  beds  of  roses  and 
many  other  flowers,  bananas  and  tropical  trees.  The 
birds  are  singing  and  the  face  of  all  nature  looks  gay. 
The  flower  and  fruit  markets  are  very  attractive  and 
strawberries  are  getting  plentiful ;  we  can  buy  a  basket  of 
roses  and  carnations  for  about  forty  cents. 

We  have  been  lately  to  Grasse,  where  they  manu- 
facture the  perfumes,  and  there  saw  acres  of  violets  and 
long  hedges  of  tea  roses." 

I  celebrated  my  76th  birthday  in  Nice,  and  also 
Easter  week,  remaining  over  a  month,  during  which  we 


286  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

had  one  continued  round  of  pleasure  and  beauty.  Life 
there  is  a  summer  dream  ;  people  live  only  for  the 
social  delights  and  seem  entirely  removed  from  the 
prosaic,  work-a-day  world.  I  had  a  charming  journey 
northward  through  beautiful  France,  and  settled  myself 
in  Paris  for  the  remainder  of  the  spring,  the  most  enjoy- 
able season  there.  From  my  hotel  on  the  Rue  de  Rivoli 
I  wrote  home  : 

Paris,  May  6,  1897. 

"  I  left  Nice  April  24,  having  had  five  weeks  of 
most  delightful  visit  with  H.  and  H.  who  did  every- 
thing to  make  me  have  a  royal  good  time.  They  say, 
'  the  dogs  do  bark  when  the  beggars  are  coming  to  town, 
some  in  rags  and  some  in  jags,  etc'  I  wonder  they  let 
me  into  Nice,  for  that  is  the  way  I  arrived.  H.  and  H. 
took  me  in  hand  at  once.  It  was  slow  work,  for  you 
know  what  dressmakers  are  and  it  was  the  busy  season. 
I  only  succeeded  in  getting  my  clothes  the  day  before  I 
left.  Seventeen  months'  hard  wear  without  renewal 
makes  sad  work  with  one's  wardrobe.  I  need  more, 
which  I  could  get  better  here.  I  am  still  undergoing  the 
tortures  of  being  fitted  and  contending  with  dressmakers 
— but  enough  of  dresses  and  clothes,  which  I  abominate 
but  must  have. 

You  will  have  seen  by  the  papers  what  a  frightful 
fire  Paris  had  day  before  yesterday,  125  bodies  identified, 
145  still  unidentified,  besides  all  those  in  the  hospitals 
and  at  home.  Strange  to  say,  I  was  here  and  saw  the 
Opera  Comique  burned  and  the  immense  funeral  after. 


■v-i»rniwi^si» 


MONUMENT  TO   MARIE   ANTOINETTE        FONTAlNBLEAl 


EMMA  J.  BARTOL  287 

They  say  this   is   far   worse.     They   will   have  a   public 
funeral  May  8,  at  Notre  Dame  Cathedral. 

I  could  have  plenty  of  society  here  if  I  wanted  to, 
but  it  bores  me  and  I  would  rather  be  free.  I  have  a 
small,  cosy  room,  with  a  private  balcony  overlooking  the 
great  park,  gardens,  ponds,  fountains  and  statues  of  the 
Tuileries,  the  finest  location  in  all  Paris.  They  have 
just  brought  out  all  the  orange  trees.  I  shall  probably 
go  to  England  in  June." 

On  May  31  I  crossed  the  Channel,  landing  at  Folk- 
stone,  and  after  a  delightful  ride  through  the  velvety 
green  fields  of  England  I  found  myself  once  more  in 
dear,  old  familiar  London.  It  was  the  season  for  the 
blooming  of  the  rhododendrons,  and  the  parks  and  gar- 
dens were  gorgeous.  To  see  Hampton  Court  and  the 
Kew  Gardens  at  this  time  of  the  year  is  worth  a  trip  to 
England.  We  spent  one  afternoon  at  the  horse  show, 
where  attention  was  divided  between  the  magnificent 
animals  and  the  distinguished  visitors. 

The  chief  object  in  going  to  London  was  to  be 
present  at  the  Diamond  Jubilee  Celebration  of  Queen 
Victoria.  As  whole  volumes  have  been  written  of  this 
occasion,  which  was  one  of  the  greatest  events  of  the  cen- 
tury for  Great  Britain,  I  need  not  dwell  upon  it.  The 
day  before  we  drove  through  the  streets  with  English 
friends  to  see  the  splendid  decorations  which  never  had 
been  equalled.  We  had  a  good  room  engaged  from 
which  to  view  the  procession,  and  this  our  thoughtful 
friends  decorated  with  flowers.  They  also  brought  a 
generous  lunch  of  roast  duck,   ham   and   mutton,   fruit, 


288  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

champagne,  etc.      I   never  in  my  life  enjoyed  anything 
more  than  this  magnificent  pageant. 

Time  never  drags  in  London,  as  no  city  presents  a 
greater  variety  of  entertainment,  while  the  environs  for 
miles  around  are  beautiful  to  see  and  vital  with  historic 
interest.  I  went  to  East  Putney  and  to  Lowestoft  to 
visit  the  charming  homes  of  relatives,  and  at  the  latter 
place  I  saw  the  most  wonderful  collection  of  poppies, 
every  shade  between  pure  white  and  almost  black. 

On  July  8,  as  the  season  was  growing  warm  in 
London,  I  went  to  Switzerland  to  join  my  son  and  his 
wife,  and  at  Lucerne,  Vevay,  Geneva,  and  other  points  1 
spent  the  remainder  of  a  most  interesting  summer,  return- 
ing to  Paris  the  last  of  August.  The  3rd  of  September 
my  son  and  I  went  to  Cherbourg  and  boarded  the  Fiirst 
Bismarck  for  New  York.  There  was  the  usual  voyage, 
which  I  did  not  enjoy  so  much  as  I  generally  do  ocean 
travel,  for  I  seemed  to  feel  the  exhaustion  which  was  al- 
most inevitable  after  the  long,  hard  journeys  of  many 
months  past.  I  think  I  never  was  happier  than  when 
our  great  vessel  glided  into  the  dock  at  Hoboken  at  7 
o'clock  in  the  evening  of  September  10.  The  weather 
was  terribly  hot,  1010,  but  I  was  rendered  still  warmer 
by  the  welcome  I  received  from  Uncle  Sam's  representa- 
tives at  the  custom  house,  for  they  relieved  me  of  $214 
in  the  way  of  duties  ! 

The  next  morning  we  went  down  to  old  Philadel- 
phia and  at  the  station  found  my  faithful  coachman,  and 
when  we  arrived  home  it  was  all  in  perfect  order  and  so 


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EMM  J  J.  BARTOL  289 

inviting  and  comfortable  that  I  felt  as  if  I  never  could 
leave  it  again.  Thus  ended  my  second  voyage  around 
the  world,  which  occupied  one  year  and  ten  months  to 
the  very  day. 


2go 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

I  soon  had  reason  to  be  very  glad  that  I  had  come 
home  and  opened  my  house,  for  in  just  two  weeks  the 
home  of  my  son-in-law,  Dr.  Register,  at  Ardmore,  burned 
to  the  ground  with  most  of  its  contents,  and  I  was  en- 
abled to  have  the  family  come  to  me  at  once.  I  made  a 
number  of  improvements  in  my  house  and  arranged  the 
many  souvenirs  of  my  trip  which  I  had  brought  home. 
My  daughter,  Mrs.  Brazier,  gave  a  large  reception  for 
me  in  the  New  Century  Club  drawing  room,  which  was 
beautifully  decorated  for  the  occasion.  I  also  assisted  at 
the  debut  party  of  my  granddaughter,  Florence  Register, 
and  afterwards  gave  a  ball  for  her  on  Chrismas  Eve,  and 
the  next  day  had  a  family  dinner  party. 

Although  I  was  occupied  every  minute  I  was  far 
from  well  the  entire  winter  of  i  899.  A  sojourn  at  Atlan- 
tic City  in  the  spring  did  not  restore  my  health  and  so  I 
took  a  cottage  at  Spring  Lake,  on  the  New  Jersey  coast 
for  the  summer.  Boating,  bathing,  driving  and  walking 
until  the  last  of  September,  I  felt  recuperated  and,  Octo- 
ber being  spent  among  the  salubrious  Blue  Ridge  Moun- 
tains, I  felt  very  well  indeed  and  ready  for  the  winter's 
duties  and  pleasures. 

I  had  my  dear  friend  Susan  B.  Anthony  with  me  in 
March,  and  in  April  I  went  to  Wernersville  among  the 
mountains.  The  apple  and  cherry  trees  were  in  full 
bloom  and  the  wealth  of  spring  flowers  impressed  me 
with  a  delicious  freshness  and  a  delicate  beauty  which 
one  never  finds  in  the  vegetation  of  the  tropics.     I   shall 


EMMA  J.  BARTOL  291 


never  forget  how  I  sat  in  the  orchard  and  read  the  Biog- 
raphy of  Miss  Anthony,  which  had  been  recently  pub- 
lished and  which  she  presented  to  me  just  before  I  left 
home.  I  consider  her  the  most  wonderful  woman  that 
any  age  ever  produced. 

I  decided  to  try  the  climate  of  Colorado  that  sum- 
mer and  my  son  George  suggested  that,  as  I  had  seen 
most  of  the  wonders  of  the  world,  I  should  go  by  the 
way  of  the  Great  Lakes,  one  of  the  wonders  of  my  own 
country.  I  decided  to  do  so  and  started  with  my  house- 
keeper and  maid  June  19.  I  stopped  several  days  at 
Buffalo  to  let  them  enjoy  Niagara  Falls,  and  then  took  a 
steamer  on  Lake  Erie  and  made  the  entire  round  of  the 
Lakes.  It  was  a  most  restful  and  enjoyable  experience. 
We  stayed  for  a  day  or  two  in  Duluth  and  then  went  to 
Denver  and  on  to  Colorado  Springs,  but  I  wanted  more 
country  life  than  I  could  have  there,  and  so  went  to 
Camp  Harding.  A  single  letter  must  suffice  for  my  so- 
journ here. 

Colorado  Springs,  Aug.  13,  1899. 

"  I  think  no  American  who  goes  to  Europe  should 
fail  first  to  make  the  lake  trip.  I  certainly  was  more  than 
ever  impressed  with  the  grandeur  of  our  country  and  its 
unparalled  water  resources.  I  know  of  no  other  part  of  the 
world  that  can  compare  with  these.  The  United  States 
is  growing  of  more  importance  every  day  in  its  as  yet  un- 
developed riches.  I  am  truly  astonished  to  find  what  a 
wonderful  state  Colorado  is ;  in  minerals,  in  climate,  and 
in  scenery  it  is  unsurpassed.  The  Rockies  seem  to  be  full 
of  gold,  coal,  precious  stones  and  all  sorts  of  useful  min- 


292  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

erals.     The  geological  displays  exceed  anything  I   ever 
saw  or  dreamed  of,  both  here  and  in  Manitou. 

I  am  not  at  Camp  Harding,  I  did  not  like  the  place 
and  as  soon  as  I  could  I  made  a  move.  I  found  a  little 
cottage  in  the  suburbs  of  Colorado  Springs,  which  I  took 
until  September  i.  The  weather  has  been  ideal;  while 
the  sun  is  hot  one  never  breaks  out  in  a  profuse  perspira- 
tion, there  being  no  humidity  as  in  the  East.  No  dew 
falls  here  ;  the  air  is  soft,  balmy  and  delicious  and  there  is 
nearly  always  a  breeze.  Camp  Harding  was  buried  in 
forest  trees  and  isolated.  Here  I  have  the  trolleys  with- 
in two  squares,  the  post  delivered  and  collected  four  times 
daily,  and  the  marketing  served  at  the  door.  I  have  ten 
hens,  two  cocks  and  some  little  chickens  and  get  eight 
fresh  laid  eggs  a  day.  A  grand  view  of  the  whole  range  of 
the  Rockies  is  had  from  my  windows.  My  housekeeper 
and  maid  do  all  the  work  and  are  happy  as  clams  at  high 
water,  but  while  boarding  they  were  miserable.  When  I 
arrived  it  was  too  early  for  fruit  and  vegetables,  but  now 
we  get  everything  and  of  very  fine  quality.  The  melons 
from  Rocky  Ford  are  noted.  I  have  green  peas  out  of 
my  own  garden. 

I  do  not  remember  whether  I  told  you  of  my  trip 
to  Pike's  Peak.  It  was  grander  than  anything  I  have 
seen  in  all  my  travels.  The  prairie  is  within  a  short 
walk  and  the  wild  flowers  are  most  beautiful.  I  have 
painted  some  which  I  think  you  will  be  interested  to  see 
on  my  return." 

Dr.  Register  and  his  two  sons  visited  me  here  and 
we  made  various  excursions  into  the  canyons  and  up  on 


EMMA  J.  BARTOL  2Q3 

the  mountains.  I  left  the  first  of  September  and  came 
eastward,  spending  that  month  in  the  Pocono  Mountains 
in  northwestern  Pennsylvania. 

The  winter  of  1900  passed  peacefully  and  somewhat 
monotonously.  I  went  to  Washington  with  my  grand- 
daughter to  attend  the  convention  of  the  National  Wo- 
man Suffrage  Association,  and  saw  Miss  Anthony  lay 
down  the  gavel  for  the  last  time  and  resign  the  presiden- 
cy which  she  had  virtually  held  since  the  association  was 
organized  in  1869.  It  was  a  most  touching  occasion.  1 
also  attended  the  great  celebration  of  her  80th  birthday 
in  the  Lafayette  Opera  House,  when  the  women  from  all 
parts  of  the  nation  came  to  bring  their  tributes  of  love 
and  gratitude,  in  the  presence  of  as  representative  an  au- 
dience as  could  be  assembled  in  the  national  capital. 
Afterwards  Miss  Anthony  was  a  guest  in  my  home. 

The  greater  part  of  this  winter  and  spring  was  de- 
voted to  work  on  the  photographs  I  had  brought  from 
abroad.  An  artist  friend,  Luella  Guerney  Rauch,  spent 
several  months  with  me  and  we  mounted  and  colored 
over  400  large  pictures  from  all  parts  of  the  world. 
These  I  presented  to  the  Memorial  Hall  in   Fairmount 

Park. 

In  June  the  National  Republican  Convention  met 
in  Philadelphia  and  a  number  of  distinguished  women 
came  here  to  try  to  secure  a  plank  in  the  platform  favor- 
ing woman  suffrage.  I  had  as  my  guests  at  this  time 
Mrs.  Carrie  Chapman  Catt  and  the  Rev.  Anna  Howard 


2g4  RECOLLECTIONS   OF  A  TRAVELLER 

Shaw,  the  president  and  vice-president  of  the  National 
Association. 

Soon  afterwards  I  went  to  Lake  Mohonk,  for  the 
summer,  a  most  beautiful  place  where  I  lingered  till  the 
last  of  September. 

In  the  winter  of  1 901,  just  before  my  80th  birth- 
day, I  delivered  my  first  lecture  !  So  much  interest  had 
been  expressed  by  my  friends  in  my  visit  to  New  Zealand 
that  at  their  request  I  finally  put  my  experiences  and 
ideas  of  that  wonderful  country  in  the  form  of  a  lecture, 
illustrated  by  stereopticon  views.  I  gave  it  before  the 
New  Century  Club,  of  which  I  had  long  been  a  member, 
and  it  was  cordially  received.  Afterwards  I  repeated 
it  before  the  Geographical  Society,  of  which  I  had  also 
been  a  member  for  years  ;  before  the  Botanical  Depart- 
ment of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania ;  before  the 
Society  for  Ethical  Culture,  to  the  young  ladies  of  a  con- 
vent out  of  town,  and  to  other  organizations.  There 
were  many  pleasant  comments  on  my  making  my  debut 
as  a  public  lecturer  at  the  age  of  eighty.  The  next  year 
I  prepared  and  delivered  several  times  a  stereopticon 
lecture  on  Jamaica. 

For  the  summer  of  1901  I  took  the  Rev.  Anna 
Howard  Shaw's  pretty  and  commodious  cottage  at 
Wianno,  on  Cape  Cod,  and  was  fortunate  indeed  to 
spend  that  phenomenonally  hot  season  in  the  shadow  of 
the  pine  woods  fanned  by  the  breezes  of  the  ocean  which 
came  almost  to  our  door. 


EMMA   J.  BARTOL  295 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

When  I  returned  from  my  last  trip  around  the 
world  I  promised  my  children  that  I  would  take  no  more 
extensive  journeys,  but  after  a  few  years  I  began  to  long 
for  a  sea  voyage,  and  so  in  the  winter  of  1902  I  com- 
promised with  them  and  myself  by  taking  a  trip  to 
Jamaica.  We  sailed  out  through  the  Delaware  River  on 
February  13,  and  back  up  the  river  on  St.  Patrick's  day, 
March  17.  My  two  sons-in-law,  and  one  of  my  daugh- 
ters accompanied  me.  A  few  extracts  from  the  lecture 
which  I  wrote  about  this  wonderful  trip  will  give  an  idea 
of  its  most  interesting  features. 

"The  second  day  out  we  seemed  to  glide  into  a 
cauldron  of  boiling  water ;  everywhere  as  far  as  the  eye 
could  reach  we  saw  clouds  of  steam  arising  ;  often  it  arose 
in  long  spiral  columns  and  floated  upward,  forming 
clouds  ;  the  effect  was  peculiar  and  one  which  1  had 
never  before  seen.  It  was  caused  by  the  warm  water  of 
the  Gulf  Stream  and  colder  air  above. 

"  The  appearance  of  the  first  fragments  of  gulf- 
weed  caused  considerable  excitement.  This  gulf-weed 
has  not,  as  some  of  the  uninitiated  fancy  from  its  name, 
anything  to  do  with  the  Gulf  Stream,  along  the  northern 
edge  of  which  we  were  steaming.  Thrust  away  in  the 
south  by  the  great  ocean  river,  it  lies  in  a  vast  eddy,  or 
central  pool,  of  the  Atlantic  between  the  Gulf  Stream 
and  the  equatorial  current,  unmoved  save  by  surface 
drifts  of  wind,  as  floating  weeds  collect  and  range  slowly 
round  and  round  in  the  still  corners  of  a  tumbling  bay 


2g6  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

or  pool.  One  glance  at  a  bit  of  the  weed  as  it  floats  past 
shows  that  it  is  like  no  fucus  on  our  shores.  One  sees 
in  a  moment  that  the  sargassos,  of  which  there  are  several 
species  on  tropical  shores,  are  a  genus  of  themselves  and 
by  themselves ;  and  a  certain  awe  may,  if  the  beholder 
be  at  once  scientific  and  poetical,  come  over  one  at  the 
first  sight  of  this  famous  and  unique  variety  thereof, 
which  has  lost,  ages  since,  the  habit  of  growing  on  rocks 
and  sea  weeds  and  propagates  itself  forever  floating,  feed- 
ing among  its  branches  a  whole  family  of  fish,  crabs,  cut- 
tlefish, zoophytes,  mollusks,  which,  like  the  plant  that 
shelters  them,  are  found  nowhere  else  in  the  world.  We 
thought  of  the  memorable  day  when  Columbus'  ship 
first  plunged  her  bow  into  the  tangled  *  ocean  meadows,' 
and  the  sailors,  naturally  enough,  were  ready  to  mutiny, 
fearing  hidden  shoals,  ignorant  that  they  had  four  miles 
of  blue  water  beneath  their  keel,  and  half  recollecting  old 
Greek  and  Phoenician  legends  of  a  weedy  sea  ofT  the 
coast  of  Africa,  where  the  vegetation  stopped  the  ships 
and  kept  them  entangled  until  all  on  board  were  starved. 

"While  dressing  on  Sunday,  Feb.  16,  some  one 
called  out,  *  There  is  land'  !  Welcome  sound,  and  still 
more  welcome  sight,  for  be  the  sea  ever  so  pleasant,  the 
land  is  more  so.  We  begin  to  pass  islands.  We  are  so 
close  to  Fortune  Island  we  see  the  trees  and  low  sandy 
banks,  the  houses  of  the  life-saving  station  and  a  striped 
light-house. 

"  Flying  fish  and  gambolling  porpoises  keep  us  in- 
terested. The  sea  is  perfectly  calm  and  the  temperature 
ideal.  We  pass  San  Salvador,  forty-six  miles  long  and 
three  to  seven  miles  broad.     It  was  the  first  land  of  the 


EMMA  J.  BARTOL  2gy 

New  World  seen  by  Columbus,  October  12th,  1492. 
We  saw  the  white  houses  gleaming  in  the  sunlight,  the 
tall  slender  light-house  and  the  bright  green  forests. 
Some  time  after  breakfast  a  large  dark  cloud  loomed  up 
ahead  of  the  steamship  ;  a  crowd  of  us  were  watching  it 
with  strained  eyes,  and  after  awhile  were  rewarded  by 
seeing  the  dark  cloud  turning  blue  and  assuming  the 
shape  of  mountains  ;  Jamaica  broke  on  our  vision.' 

"  Soon  the  trunks  were  trundled  off;  passengers 
made  a  rush  for  the  carryalls  and  vehicles  to  ride  to  the 
hotel.  The  gentlemen  stayed  to  look  after  the  trunks  and 
Custom  House  officials.  Away  went  Jehu  at  breakneck 
speed,  dashing  by  one  team  and  nearly  running  into 
another,  passing  a  queer  lot  of  poor  stores  where  every 
conceivable  kind  of  goods  was  for  sale.  We  at  last 
arrived  at  Hotel  Titchfield,  in  Port  Antonio,  after  climb- 
ing up  a  very  steep  hill.  The  hotel  is  a  queer  conglom- 
eration of  buildings  pieced  together,  looking  like  an  old 
hen  and  her  chicks.  We  were  ushered  into  a  rough 
looking  room  called  the  office  to  register  and  have 
our  rooms  assigned  to  us.  It  took  some  time  to  get 
forty-eight  passengers  accommodated.  So  many  arriving 
at  once  quite  upset  the  equanimity  of  the  proprietor. 
He  said  he  had  lain  awake  all  night  thinking  how  he 
could  accommodate  us.  On  the  drive  up  to  the  hotel 
we  passed  fine  bread-fruit  trees  with  small  loaves  of  bread 
hanging  all  over  them,  cocoanut  trees,  crotons  of  all 
colors,  hibiscus  of  various  shades  and  pandanus  lantaneas. 
The  hotel  is   all   wood,  no  plaster,  no  paint ;  the  beams 


2?8  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

with  planks  laid  upon  them  from  the  ceiling,  consequently 
every  move  is  heard. 

"  Early  rising  in  Jamaica,  as  in  most  tropical  coun- 
tries, is  indispensible.  The  only  train  starts  at  half-past 
six  A.  M.,  as  also  the  steamers.  Woe  to  those  who 
want  to  sleep,  for  the  noise  above,  below  and  on  every 
side  is  distracting  and  makes  sleep  impossible. 

"  Jamaica  was  discovered  by  Christopher  Columbus 
on  May  3,  1492,  during  his  second  voyage  to  the  New 
World,  while  sailing  south  from  Cuba,  ninety  miles  dis- 
tant. The  discoverer  named  the  island  Santiago,  though 
it  still  retains  the  Indian  name,  Xaymaca,  now  called 
Jamaica. 

"The  turkey  buzzards  or,  as  they  call  them  in 
Jamaica,  Jim  Crows,  are  very  amusing.  We  had  a  slight 
shower  which  dampened  their  wings  somewhat.  After 
the  rain  was  over  seven  of  them  arranged  themselves  on 
the  limbs  of  the  cocoanut  tree  opposite  our  table  in  the 
dining-room,  turning  round  and  round,  spreading  out 
their  wings  and  flapping  them  up  and  down  slowly  till 
they  were  dry.  One  seldom  looks  out  without  seeing  a 
number  soaring  round  and  round  and  across  the  garden, 
or  resting  on  the  railings  of  some  housetop,  or  acting  as 
scavengers.  Being  defended  by  law,  they  have  no  fear 
of  man. 

"  The  Blue  Hole  is  a  curious  inland  pool  many 
fathoms  deep,  which  empties  into  a  little  harbor,  with  ex- 
quisite "  blue  water",  whose  turquoise  color  deepens  into 
amethyst  in  the  shadows,  over  which  the  bending  trunks 
and  swaying  tops  of  a  hundred  cocoanut  trees  cast  their 
reflection.     The    entrance    is    a    narrow    passage   where 


EMMA  J.  BARTOL  2gg 

steamers  come  to  load  for  cocoanuts.  The  owner,  a  col- 
ored woman  who  was  born  on  the  place,  sells  41,000  a 
year.  We  saw  the  process  of  taking  off  the  husks  of  the 
cocoanuts  in  a  shed,  where  thousands  were  piled  ready 
for  shipping.  The  cocoanut  thrives  only  by  the  ocean. 
In  our  drive  we  must  have  passed  millions.  They  grow 
more  luxuriantly  in  Jamaica  than  anywhere  else. 

"  Someone  was  indiscreet  enough  to  ask  the  daughter 
if  she  knew  of  anyone  who  took  in  washing ;  she  answered 
with  great  dignity  and  fine  English,  '  I  believe  they  have 
a  good  laundry  at  the  hotel.'  The  mother  had  sent  her 
away  and  she  had  had  a  college  education.  The  mother 
was  quite  stout,  had  gray  hair,  was  well  dressed  and  had 
pleasant  manners.  Cocoanuts  were  opened  for  us  to 
drink  the  milk,  and  the  shillings  and  sixpences  were 
poured  into  willing  hands.  Many  beautiful  conch  and 
other  sea  shells  lay  all  around. 

"  On  February  21st  we  went  to  St.  Margaret's  Bay, 
where  we  saw  an  abandoned  sugar  estate.  The  sugar 
industry  is  a  thing  of  the  past.  Owing  to  old-fashioned 
machinery  and  not  having  slave  labor,  they  could  not 
compete  with  the  sugar  industry  of  Cuba  and  the  beet 
root  sugar  of  the  United  States.  So  one  sees  everywhere 
the  ruined  sugar  mills  and  engine  houses.  Thus  it  is 
with  the  march  of  improvement ;  some  go  down  in  the 
battle  of  life,  and  new  ones  arise — the  evolution  of  the 
centuries. 

"  Hedges  of  hibiscus  glowed  in  the  sunlight,  also 
the  paschal  flower — a  blaze  of  scarlet.  The  star  apple 
tree  is  exceedingly  handsome,  as  large  as  a  forest  tree 
with  dark  green  shiny  leaves,  a  deep  cinnamon  brown  on 


300  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

the  under  side,  which,  flickering  in  the  sunlight,  keep 
constantly  changing  their  hues ;  the  apples  are  green  and 
turn  to  purple  when  ripe.  The  mango  trees  are  enormous 
and  beautiful  in  flower  or  in  fruit ;  there  are  also  custard 
apples,  sappodillas,  guava,  papaws,  avacado  pears,  lemon 
and  many  other  trees  and  fruits. 

"We  met  many  Hindus,  distinguished  by  their  differ- 
ent costumes,  with  long,  shiny,  black  hair.  The  women 
had  silver  collars  and  bracelets  on  arms  and  ankles.  The 
men  had  a  quantity  of  cloth  bound  round  the  body  and 
legs,  black  hair  and  straight  noses,  good  features,  black 
eyes  and  spare,  agile  figures.  The  children  are  much 
prettier  than  those  of  the  negro  race. 

"  There  was  a  dance  on  the  tennis  court  of  the  hotel, 
which  was  made  of  a  bright  green  and  situated  about 
300  feet  below  the  hotel  at  the  bottom  of  a  steep  hill. 
It  was  bordered  by  beautiful  shrubs,  cretons  of  all  colors, 
rose  bushes,  waving  palms  and  cocoanut  trees.  Electric 
lights  were  hung  all  around  and  danced  and  shimmered 
in  the  breeze.  It  was  a  pretty  and  novel  sight  as  we 
looked  down  on  it  from  the  piazza  ;  it  appeared  like  a 
far  away  theatre  scene  ;  the  blue  ocean  just  below,  the 
dancing  figures,  the  weird  music,  the  tropical  foliage  and 
the  heavens  brilliant  with  the  Southern  Cross  and  un- 
known constellations  of  stars. 

"  Saturday  was  market  day.  The  people  came  in 
from  the  country,  many  of  them  walking  six  or  eight 
miles.  All  their  packages  were  balanced  upon  their 
heads,  containing  anything  they  had  to  sell — oranges,  a 
chicken,  yams,  the  cocoa,  dye  woods,  bottles  to  fill  with 
petroleum,  anything  and   everything   imaginable.     The 


EMMA  J.  BARTOL  301 

young  Jamaica  women  are  often  extremely  pretty  and  of 
most  cheerful  and  happy  demeanor.  One  woman  had  a 
little  black  pig  under  her  arm  to  sell,  others  had  scarlet 
and  green  peppers,  tangerines,  chiote.  They  sat  or  stood 
in  a  large  open  space.  One  man  had  chicken  tucked 
under  his  arm.  There  was  also  a  rude  market  house 
where  they  were  selling  quantities  of  very  dark  sugar 
with  a  great  deal  of  molasses  still  in  it.  The  tobacco 
was  made  into  ropes,  which  they  sold  by  the  yard.  The 
cocoa  beans  were  made  into  dark,  short  rolls  of  chocolate. 
I  saw  the  unroasted  coffee  bean  for  sale,  also  the  pine- 
apple which  was  rare,  as  April  and  May  are  the  months 
for  it.  Seventy  million  bunches  of  bananas  and  sixty 
million  cocoanuts  a  year  are  exported  from  the  island. 

"  Almost  everything  is  carried  on  the  heads  of 
women  ;  the  drinking  water  in  large  square  tin  oil  cans. 
I  saw  very  few  horses  and  only  one  donkey.  Children 
of  five  and  six  years  carried  heavy  loads  on  their  heads. 
The  noise  and  chattering  in  the  market  are  deafening, 
but  they  seem  a  good  natured  crowd  and  no  doubt  enjoy 
the  gossip  and  social  meeting  as  our  Northern  people  do 
teas  and  luncheons. 

"In  1838,  the  negroes  of  Jamaica,  through  the 
exertions  of  the  venerated  Wilberforce  and  other  philan- 
thropists in  England,  became  free  men. 

"  The  coffee  and  fruit  industries  have  increased  very 
rapidly  within  the  last  fifteen  years.  Coffee  growing  is 
the  best  of  all  these  industries.  In  starting  the  planta- 
tion the  young  trees  are  usually  set  eight  feet  apart  both 
ways,  though  some  prefer  to  plant  wider.  Two  years 
afterward  there  will  be  a  sprinkling  of  coffee,  and  at  the 


302  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A   TRAVELLER 

end  of  the  third  year  a  small  crop,  usually  enough  to  pay 
running  expenses.  The  fourth  year  brings  a  full  crop 
and  the  trees  continue  thereafter  to  bear  for  thirty  or 
forty  years,  according  to  the  soil  in  which  they  are 
planted.  The  coffee  berry  when  ripe  is  of  a  bright  pur- 
plish red  color  and  is  in  appearance  much  like  a  cran- 
berry. The  coffee  kernels,  like  the  cherry-stone,  are 
encased  in  the  flesh  of  the  fruit.  First  the  berries  are 
run  through  a  "  pulper",  a  machine  which  tears  off  most 
of  the  pulp  from  the  kernel.  They  are  then  run  into 
tanks  filled  with  water,  where  they  are  stirred  frequently 
to  wash  off  what  pulp  may  remain  on  them.  Then  they 
are  removed  from  the  tanks  and  spread  out  in  the  sun  on 
great  platforms  made  of  cement,  called  barbacues  or  patios, 
and  left  there  until  thoroughly  dry.  Up  to  this  point 
the  two  kernels  which  form  the  "  stone",  so  to  speak,  of 
the  berry,  and  which  lying  with  their  flat  surface  face  to 
face,  are  surrounded  by  the  horny  covering.  To  remove 
this  the  coffee  is  run  through  a  mill  properly  constructed 
for  that  purpose.  The  price  of  the  coffee  depends  on 
the  way  it  is  prepared  for  the  market.  The  richly  wooded 
hills  supply  valuable  dye  woods  and  hard  woods. 

"  Balaclava  is  the  center  of  the  ginger  as  well  as 
coffee  trade.  The  Appleton  estate  is  celebrated  for  the 
best  quality  of  rum  in  the  island.  Large  quantities  of 
logwood  and  other  dye  woods  are  brought  down  the 
Black  River  in  lighters.     The  river  abounds  in  alligators. 

"  The  natural  requirements  of  the  banana  plant  are 
totally  different  from  the  coffee  tree ;  for  while  the  latter 
flourishes  in  the  cool  mountain  country,  the  former  re- 
quires a  hot  climate,  and  being  an  extremely  heavy  feeder, 


EMM  J  J.   BARTOL  Soj 


will  only  grow  in  perfection  on  the  rich  plain-land.  It 
is  true  that  bananas  can  grow  in  any  part  of  the  island 
and  patches  belonging  to  the  negroes  are  often  seen  on 
steep  hill-sides  far  in  the  interior,  but  this  fruit  is  gener- 
ally small  and  inferior  and  does  not  attain  its  proper  pro- 
portions. The  large  plantations  of  the  white  men  are 
always  on  flat  lands.  After  the  land  has  been  plowed, 
which  is  done  with  a  very  large  plow  drawn  by  eight  or 
ten  oxen,  the  plants  are  set  in  straight  rows  ten  to  fifteen 
feet  apart  in  the  row.  The  plants  attain  a  height  of  ten 
to  fifteen  feet,  according  to  the  soil  and  cultivation.  At 
the  end  of  a  year  the  first  crop  is  ready  for  gathering. 
Each  plant  produces  one  bunch  holding  from  seventy- 
five  to  one  hundred  bananas,  after  which  it  is  worthless 
and  is  cut  down  and  left  on  the  ground  to  rot.  But  new 
plants  or  suckers  are  constantly  coming  up  from  the  root 
and  three  or  four  of  these  are  allowed  to  grow.  Thus 
when  the  first  plant  is  cut  down  another  is  nearly  ready 
to  bear,  while  one  or  two  others  are  in  different  stages  of 
growth.  This  process  can  be  continued  for  about  seven 
years,  by  which  time  the  ground  is  so  full  of  roots  that 
it  is  necessary  to  plow  it  up  and  repeat  the  process. 

"  The  coolie  banana  cutter  is  very  expert  at  his 
work.  He  passes  around  among  the  plants  and  selects 
a  branch  of  fruit  which  is  perfectly  filled  out  and  fully 
developed.  As  it  hangs  from  the  plant  it  is  far  above 
the  reach  of  the  cutter  and  to  bring  it  to  the  ground 
without  injury  requires  long  practice.  With  his  machete 
he  slashes  the  stem,  cutting  about  half  through.  The 
weight  of  the  bunch  of  bananas  at  once  causes  the  plant 
to   bend,  and,  as  it  slowly  drops   downward,  the  coolie 


304  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

quickly  catches  hold  of  the  stem  at  the  end  of  the  bunch, 
and  at  the  same  moment  cuts  the  stem  from  the  plant 
with  one  blow  of  his  machete.  With  another  stroke  of 
the  machete  he  clips  off  the  great  maroon  colored  plum- 
met that  he  holds  in  his  hand,  and  as  the  bunch  touches 
the  ground  it  is  ready  to  be  carted  to  the  wharf,  the 
whole  operation  occupying  only  a  few  seconds. 

"  The  cocoanut  trees  seldom  bear  until  seven  years 
old  ;  but  once  in  bearing  they  continue  for  a  hundred 
vears,  and  are  a  veritable  mine  of  wealth  to  their  owners. 
A  single  tree  produces  on  an  average  a  hundred  nuts  a 
year.  There  is  no  fixed  season  for  blossoming  and  fruit- 
ing. On  the  same  tree  blossoms,  green  fruit  and  ripen- 
ing nuts  can  always  be  seen.  Cocoanut  trees  like  sea  air 
and  do  not  do  so  well  if  planted  too  far  from  the  coast. 
After  the  first  few  years  they  need  no  cultivation ;  and 
as  soon  as  their  tops  are  out  of  reach,  the  land  on  which 
they  grow  can  be  put  into  grass  and  pasturage. 

"  The  Government  Botanical  Garden,  two  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  in  extent,  is  the  chief  botanic  garden  of 
the  island.  It  is  largely  through  these  experimental 
grounds  and  cultivation  that  Jamaica  has  become  the 
garden  spot  it  is  to-day.  Probably  two-thirds  of  the 
nuts,  fruits,  choice  woods  and  economic  or  medicinal 
plants  now  grown  there  were  introduced  from  foreign 
countries. 

"In  driving  in  the  country  one  is  struck  by  the  im- 
mense quantity  of  orchids  and  air  plants.  Every  large 
tree  has  its  quota  to  bear,  being  freighted  with  plants  large 
and  small,  notably  the  ceiba  or  silk  cotton  tree  which 
grows  to  an  immense  size.     On  one  of  these  we  saw  a 


EMMA  J.   BARTOL  305 

beautiful  large  orchid  of  brilliant  scarlet  with  a  long 
comb  of  bristling  burr-like  spurs.  It  was  growing  some 
thirty  feet  high  in  the  crotch  of  a  large  tree.  Our  drives 
were  frequently  spoiled  by  the  very  poor  horses  ;  they 
are  certainly  the  most  heartbroken  and  crestfallen  crea- 
tures ever  seen.  The  negroes  beat  them  badly.  One 
never  knows  when  starting  out  whether  they  will  be  able 
to  bring  one  back. 

"  The  road  to  Montpelier  was  up  a  very  steep  hill. 
It  was  a  dark  night  and  we  went  zigzaging  on,  turning  very 
sharp  corners.  It  would  have  been  uninteresting  but 
for  the  brilliancy  of  the  stars  and  the  innumerable  quan- 
tity of  fire-flies,  cuculios,  which  flew  hither  and  thither 
across  the  horses'  heads  as  we  slowly  crawled  up  to  the 
hotel,  which  stands  on  an  elevated,  conical  hill,  giving  a 
fine  panorama  of  surrounding  country  bordered  by  a  belt 
of  mountains  encircling  the  valley.  In  this  the  logwood 
trees  with  their  feathery  foliage  dot  the  meadows.  Num- 
bers of  East  Indian  cattle  imported  at  a  great  cost  browse 
below,  and  one  is  struck  by  their  silver-gray  hides  and 
the  quaint  shapes  of  the  zebu  and  Mysore  cattle. 

"  The  cost  of  living  in  Jamaica  is  not  so  great  as  it 
is  in  the  North.  Fruits  are  especially  low  in  price  and 
of  great  variety,  such  as  mangoes,  oranges,  bananas,  cus- 
tard apples,  papaws,  avorcado  pears,  lemons,  tangerines 
and  many  others.     Clothing  is  cheaper,  wages  are  lower. 

"  At  Mandeville  the  scarcity  of  water  was  painfully 
apparent.  They  have  bored  artesian  wells  with  no  suc- 
cess, and  must  depend  on  open  tanks  for  rain  water.  As 
they  have  nothing  but  a  small  low  wire  grating  of  two 
feet  around  the  edge,  the  amount  of  debris  that  drops  in 


jo6  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

can  be  better  imagined  than  described.  The  water  for 
drinking  is  put  into  a  porous  stone  bowl,  hollowed  out 
in  the  center  and  kept  in  a  small  closet  made  of  Venetian 
slats.  This  stone  is  called  a  drip  stone.  The  few  con- 
veniences are  of  the  most  primitive  kind,  such  as  be- 
longed to  a  past  century. 

"  The  bulk  of  the  negroes  are  but  children  of  a 
larger  growth  ;  they  have  little  or  no  training. 

"  It  is  said  that  Hindus  were  imported  for  a  certain 
time  and  after  that  time  expired  they  continued  to  make 
Jamaica  their  home.  A  party  of  five  of  us  with  a  carry- 
all, pair  of  horses  and  negro  driver  started  for  Windsor, 
a  Hindu  settlement,  passing  through  Port  Antonio.  Off 
to  the  left  we  struck  into  the  interior  with  fair  roads  for 
the  most  part  cut  out  of  the  face  of  the  mountain,  con- 
stantly passing  immense  gorges  with  fine  stone  bridges. 
These  gave  glimpses  of  banana  groves  below  and  beauti- 
ful waterfalls  and  a  lovely  valley  called  the  Golden  Vale, 
with  the  Rio  Grande  running  swiftly  through. 

"  The  cleanliness  of  the  women  and  children  we 
saw  coming  to  market  or  going  to  school  was  noticeable. 
They  wore  coquettish  turbans  formed  of  Madras  hand- 
kerchiefs, freshly  laundered  waists  of  thin  white  or  bright- 
colored  stuffs,  and  spotted  skirts  drawn  up  about  the 
waist  by  a  cord,  allowing  freedom  to  bare  feet  and  ankles. 
We  passed  a  school  and  one  of  our  party  was  anxious  to 
take  a  snap  shot.  After  grouping  the  children  quite 
effectively  the  teacher  happened  to  discover  what  was 
going  on.  He  came  and  scattered  the  young  ones,  as  a 
kite  would  a  covey  of  partridges,  and  away  they  all  flew. 
The  teacher,  glad  to  show  his   authority,  explained   that 


EMMA  J.   BARTOL  30j 

it  was  against  the  rules,  but  in  the  meantime  another 
kodak  fiend  had  him  and  the  school  house  without  his 
being  aware  of  what  was  going  on.  The  attempts  to 
photograph  the  women  were  ludicrous  ;  some  laughed, 
some  ran  away  and  declared  the  Obii  would  be  angry 
and  they  would  be  drowned  ;  some  demanded  fifty  cents 
to  stand  a  few  seconds.  We  saw  many  women  by  the 
roadside  breaking  stones  to  mend  the  road.  They  get 
about  twelve  cents  a  day  ;  they  have  to  furnish  the  stone, 
sometimes  dragging  it  from  the  seashore  or  out  of 
brooks. 

"  We  passed  beautiful  clumps  of  bamboo,  bread- 
fruit trees  with  their  beautiful  serrated,  dark  glossy  leaves, 
and  loaves  of  bread  hanging  on  them  for  the  pickino-. 
At  last  we  came  to  a  straggling  row  of  poor,  miserably 
built  houses  where  the  coolies  and  Hindus  lived.  They 
do  not  mix  with  or  associate  with  the  negroes.  The 
coolies  by  whom  much  of  the  work  is  done,  are  an  am- 
bitious people  and  thoroughly  reliable.  The  white  man 
in  the  West  Indies  is  the  master,  it  being  out  of  the 
question  for  him  to  perform  field  labor.  The  original 
inhabitants  were  a  race  of  peace-loving  Indians  of  the 
Arawak  tribe,  such  as  still  inhabit  British  Guiana,  Cuba, 
Hayti,  Porto  Rico  and  the  Bahamas.  The  Spaniards 
promptly  exterminated  these  peaceful  people  and  were 
in  turn  expelled  by  the  English  at  their  conquest  of  the 
Islands. 

"  The  importation  of  slaves  from  Africa  was  begun 
at  an  early  date  and  continued  up  to  March,  1801. 
The  African  slaves  imported  by  the  Spanish  were  left  by 
their  masters  to  fight   the   English  ;  and    their   descend- 


jo8  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

ants,  being  a  mixture  of  negro  and  Indian,  proved  most 
warlike  in  actual  combat.  These  people  are  to-day 
known  as  the  Maroons  of  the  Blue  Mountains,  an  un- 
conquered  people  with  whom  the  English  made  treaties, 
and  who  proved  an  able  ally  in  the  various  negro 
uprisings.  Expediency  and  the  uncertainty  of  the  negro 
labor  have  caused  the  planters  to  introduce  coolies  from 
India  and  20,000  of  them  have  been  added  to  the  popu- 
lation. The  foundation  of  Jamaica  is  rocks.  The  sur- 
face of  the  island  is  extremely  mountainous  ;  one  of  the 
Blue  Mountain  peaks  attains  an  elevation  of  7,360  feet. 
From  a  tropical  temperature  of  8o°-86°  at  the  sea  coast 
the  thermometer  falls  to  45 ° -500  on  the  tops  of  the 
highest  mountains,  and  there  is  a  dryness  of  atmosphere 
that  renders  the  climate  of  the  mountains  of  Jamaica  par- 
ticularly delightful  to  the  most  delicate  constitution. 

"  The  sun  was  just  peeping  above  the  horizon, 
tinging  the  clouds  with  rose  and  gold,  as  we  moved  out 
of  the  depot  on  our  way  to  Kingston,  the  capital,  and  a  de- 
lightful freshness  was  in  the  air.  The  long  ride  of  sev- 
enty-five miles  by  rail  was  full  of  interest,  winding  in 
and  out  the  defiles  of  mountains  through  numerous 
tunnels.  The  mangoes  were  in  full  flower  and  there 
were  miles  of  feathery  bamboo,  sugar  cane  and  forest 
trees  up  which  stealthy  parasites  were  creeping,  though 
already  loaded  with  air  plants.  Under  the  shade  of  the 
bananas  quantities  of  cattle  were  browsing ;  at  many 
stations  numbers  of  goats  and  kids  attracted  our  atten- 
tion with  their  gambols.      The   varied  play  of  light  and 


EMM  J  J.  BJRTOL  3oo 

shade  on  the  mountains  added  ever   new   beauty   to   the 
scenery. 

"As  we  neared  Kingston  the  change  in  temperature 
was  very  perceptible.  We  saw  the  lignum  vitae,  with  its 
wealth  of  light  blue  blossoms.  The  trees  were  very 
large  and  beautifully  shaped  and  appeared  as  if  covered 
with  bunches  of  light  blue  violets.  The  fences  were 
often  made  of  the  organ  cactus  and  he  would  be  a  bold 
man  or  beast  who  would  venture  to  climb  through." 

Kingston  stands  on  a  fine  harbor  in  the  southeast 
coast,  at  the  entrance  of  which  lies  Port  Royal.  From 
here  we  made  many  excursions  to  different  parts  of  the 
island  and  finally  sailed  for  home  March  u.  This  was 
my  last  sea  voyage  up  to  the  present  time,  but  I  am  by 
no  means  certain  that  I  may  not  take  another,  as  I  have 
never  visited  Bermuda ! 

I  spent  most  of  the  spring  and  part  of  the  summer 
of  1902  in  Atlantic  City.  Between  these  seasons  I  gave 
a  large  wedding  breakfast  for  my  grand-daughter,  and  a 
reception  in  the  same  drawing  room  where  her  mother 
was  married  twenty-four  years  before.  Later  I  went  up 
to  Lake  Mohonk,  and  remained  until  the  middle  of  Sep- 
tember, enjoying  the  glorious  scenery  and  climate,  and 
then  came  down  to  West  Point  for  awhile.  I  have 
found  but  one  letter  written  while  there,  from  which  I 
make  an  extract. 

West  Point,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  12,  1902. 

"  I  have  been  doing  West  Point ;  been  to  Fort 
Putnam  where  the  General  on  horsebackjumped  down  a 
precipice  a  hundred  feet  high, and  seen  the  prison  where  the 


jio  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

British  were  confined.  Have  been  to  Kosiusco's  Garden  ; 
spent  a  morning  at  the  observatory,  which  is  like  the 
"  Lick  "  on  a  smaller  scale,  and  also  visited  the  convent 
of  the  "  Lady  of  our  Cliff"  at  Highland  Falls. 

I  went  to  Cold  Spring  and  called  on  Dr.  Young, 
our  old  family  physician,  but  he  was  not  able  to  see  me. 
All,  all,  were  dead  and  gone  with  whom  your  father 
was  associated  and  whom  we  knew  so  well.  I  could  not 
even  find  the  house  we  lived  in.  It  was  a  sad  and  unsat- 
isfactory visit.  I  can  see  Cold  Spring  from  my  windows 
and  have  been  living  over  and  over  many  an  episode  of 
my  young  life.  The  Hudson  River  is  woven  into  many 
of  my  early  experiences  in  this  country." 

The  last  few  years  of  my  life  have  been  uneventful, 
calm  and  happy.  In  June,  1903,  I  had  printed  in  a 
pamphlet  my  lectures  on  New  Zealand  and  Jamaica, 
which  I  had  given  about  a  dozen  times  in  and  around 
Philadelphia,  and  I  have  had  much  pleasure  in  present- 
ing this  booklet  to  relatives  and  friends  as  a  Christmas, 
Valentine  or  Easter  remembrance.  As  the  recipients 
generally  renewed  their  urgent  requests  that  I  would  put 
into  permanent  form  the  recollections  of  my  long  and 
busy  life,  I  finally  set  about  this.  While  spending  the 
summer  at  Eagles  Mere  and  other  quiet  retreats  in  the 
Alleghany  Mountains,  I  prepared  the  reminiscences  of 
my  childhood  and  youth,  but  when  I  returned  to  the 
endless  demands  of  housekeeping  and  life  in  a  large  city, 
any  further  writing  had  to  be  laid  aside  until  the  next 
summer's  vacation  time.  This  was  spent  partly  in  the 
Alleghany  and  partly  in  the  Catskill  Mountains,  and  the 


EMMA  J.   BARTOL 


j 


ii 


early  autumn  at  Delaware  Water  Gap.  At  all  of  these 
places  I  applied  myself  assiduously  to  the  work  of  col- 
lecting material  and  putting  it  into  readable  shape. 

The  chief  event  of  personal  interest  to  me  in  1904 
was  the  marriage  of  one  of  my  grandsons,  November  29. 
The  autumn  was  filled  with  the  usual  duties,  and  the 
winter  of  1905  given  largely  to  the  completion  of  this 
volume  of  recollections  of  my  travels. 

It  has  been  a  work  of  love,  with  no  expectation  of 
any  reward  save  the  pleasure  of  living  the  past  over 
again  and  the  feeling  that  I  shall  have  left  to  my 
family  and  friends  a  remembrance  that  I  trust  they  will 
accept  with  the  same  loving  appreciation  which  they  al- 
ways have  given  the  writer  of  it — far  beyond  the  deserts 
of  either  the  author  or  the  book,  and  for  this  reason  all 
the  more  gratefully  received. 


312  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  J  TRAVELLER 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

It  is  with  a  great  deal  of  reluctance  that  I  refer  to 
the  matters  contained  in  this  chapter,  but  friends  who 
have  read  those  preceding,  and  whose  opinion  I  value, 
say  that  to  give  only  a  record  of  my  travels  and  the 
things  I  have  done  for  my  own  enjoyment  would  indi- 
cate a  very  selfish  woman.  They  also  say  that  the 
organized  work  in  which  I  have  participated  and  to 
which  I  have  contributed  has  been  so  large  a  feature  in 
my  life  that  to  ignore  it  would  leave  the  story  most  in- 
complete. I  yield  to  their  judgment  and  make  brief 
reference  to  certain  things,  so  far  as  I  can  remember 
them.  In  doing  this  it  will  show  how  busy  and  com- 
plex is  the  life  of  the  modern  woman  ;  how  it  is  possible 
for  one  with  even  a  moderate  income,  compared  to  what 
many  enjoy,  to  assist  a  large  number  of  worthy  enter- 
prises ;  and  especially  to  prove  that  after  a  woman  has 
passed  four-score  she  may  still  be  of  use  in  the  world  and 
keep  in  touch  with  the  activities  around  her.  As  the 
friends  of  my  youth  and  of  middle  age  have  passed  away, 
I  have  thus  been  able  continually  to  form  new  acquaint- 
ances and  find  fresh  sources  of  enjoyment.  In  this  way 
I  have  maintained  an  unfailing  interest  in  life  and  escaped 
that  extreme  loneliness  which  usually  comes  to  those 
who  outlive  their  generation. 

When  I  came  to  Philadelphia  in  1847,  at  tne  age 
of  twenty-six,  I  soon  entered  actively  into  the  charitable 
work  of  the  Unitarian  Church,  the  woman's  branch  of 
which  was  known  as  the  Dorcas  Society,  and  for  many 


EMM  J  J.   BARTOL  J7J 


years  I  was  one  of  the  visiting  committee  that  investi- 
gated the  cases  applying  for  relief.  At  the  outbreak  of 
the  Civil  War  I  went  at  once  into  the  Sanitary  Commis- 
sion and  labored  without  ceasing  until  its  close,  giving 
much  of  my  time  and  strength  to  the  care  of  the 
sick  and  wounded  who  filled  the  hospitals  of  Philadel- 
phia. 

In  the  great  work  which  the  women  did  for  the 
Centennial  Exposition  of  1876  I  tried  to  contribute  my 
share,  and  I  entered  heartily  into  the  proposition  to 
utilize  the  knowledge  and  experience  which  had  been 
gained  during  that  strenuous  time  by  forming  a  perma- 
nent organization.  This  was  done  the  following  year  by 
founding  the  New  Century  Club,  of  which  I  was  one  of 
the  forty-four  charter  members.  I  have  always  felt  the 
warmest  interest  in  this  Club,  which  now  has  reached  a 
membership  of  six  hundred.  When  it  was  proposed  to 
form  a  corporation  and  build  a  clubhouse  in  1890,  I 
was  happy  to  subscribe  to  the  building  fund,  and  after- 
wards to  present  to  the  club  the  shares  of  stock  I 
had  thus  acquired.  When  the  New  Century  Guild 
for  Working  Women  was  formed  as  an  outgrowth  of 
this  club  I  took  pleasure  in  assisting  the  move- 
ment. 

Mr.  Bartol  and  I  contributed  liberally  toward  estab- 
lishing the  Women's  Homeopathic  Hospital,  and  I  was 
first  vice-president  of  the  board  of  managers  for  over  a 
quarter  of  a  century.  I  also  am  on  the  board  of 
the  Southern  Hospital  for  Women  in  Philadelphia;  and 


314  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

I  have  been  glad  to  assist  in  establishing  the  proposed 
McKinley  Memorial  Hospital  for  Contagious  Diseases. 

I  am  an  interested  member  of  the  Society  for  Ethical 
Culture  and  for  a  number  of  years  past  have  been  one 
of  its  Board  of  Trustees. 

It  was  a  great  privilege  and  pleasure  to  become  a 
life  member  of  the  Children's  Aid  Society.  I  have 
always  been  interested  in  and  assisted  the  National 
Woman  Suffrage  Association.  The  societies  for  various 
purposes  which  I  have  helped  to  start  are  almost  too 
numerous  to  mention.  My  early  experiences  in  Cuba 
made  me  feel  kindly  towards  the  negro  race  and  for 
some  years  I  have  maintained  a  scholarship  at  Hampton 
and  contributed  to  Tuskegee  Institute.  I  am  or  have 
been  on  the  boards  of  many  institutions.  I  never  con- 
tribute to  any  organizations  without  investigating  as  to 
their  worthiness,  and  afterwards  I  endeavor  to  visit  them 
during  each  year.  It  is  a  great  privilege  to  be  able  to 
assist  in  a  small  way  a  few  of  the  many  agencies  which 
are  trying  to  help  the  world  along,  but  the  pleasure  is 
largely  mitigated  by  the  flood  of  appeals  which  burden 
every  mail.  Each  morning  of  the  year  I  find  beside  my 
plate  a  pile  of  letters  begging  financial  help  for  every 
conceivable  purpose.  Many  of  these  doubtless  are  quite 
as  worthy  as  those  to  which  I  contribute,  but  could  I 
multiply  many  times  the  amount  which  I  am  able  to 
give  each  year  it  would  be  totally  inadequate  to  meet 
the  demand. 

At  one  time  when  I  was  in  London  I  became  greatly 
interested  in  the  Flower  and  Fruit  Mission  and  investi- 
gated its  methods  very  thoroughly.     When  I  came  home 


EMMA  J.  BARTOL  JIS 

I  organized  the  present  one  in  Philadelphia  and  was  its 
president  for  many  years.  Until  it  disbanded  I  was  a 
member  of  the  Association  for  the  Advancement  of 
Women — that  pioneer  of  the  great  club  movement  of 
to-day.  I  was  also  for  a  number  of  years  a  member  of 
Sorosis,  in  New  York,  the  mother  of  women's  clubs. 
Among  the  other  organizations  in  which  I  have  a  mem- 
bership, without  solicitation  on  my  part,  are  the  National 
and  Philadelphia  Geographical  Societies,  the  Archaeologi- 
cal, the  Botanical  and  the  Forestry  Associations  con- 
nected with  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  ;  Unitarian 
Club,  Consumer's  League,  Women's  Health  Protective 
Association,  Universal  Peace  Union,  Woman  Suffrage 
Society  of  the  County  of  Philadelphia,  National  Con- 
gress of  Mothers,  Civic  Club,  Public  Education  Asso- 
ciation of  Philadelphia,  Needlework  Guild  of  the  United 
States,  Fairmount  Park  Art  Association,  Pennsylvania 
Horticulture  Society,  Women's  State  Press  Association, 
Zoological  Society  of  Fairmount  Park,  Academy  of  Fine 
Arts,  American  Academy  of  Political  and  Social  Science. 
In  all  of  these  I  take  an  active  interest. 

One  of  the  blessings  connected  with  a  spacious  house 
is  the  privilege  of  sharing  its  comforts  with  other  people. 
In  all  the  past  years  there  has  been  scarcely  a  month 
when  I  have  not  had  visitors  in  my  home,  sometimes 
relatives,  at  other  times  intimate  friends,  and  often  some 
cultured  and  estimable  person  who  had  found  life  a 
struggle  and  appreciated  the  rest  and  recreation  which  I 
was  able  to  offer.  It  has  been  my  good  fortune  also  to 
entertain  many  distinguished  men  and  women  who  gave 
far  more  than  they  received.     Among  the  guests  whom 


ji6  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  TRAVELLER 

I  love  to  remember  have  been  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Cady 
Stanton,  Miss  Susan  B.  Anthony,  Mrs.  Julia  Ward 
Howe,  the  Rev.  Anna  Howard  Shaw,  Mrs.  Carrie  Chap- 
man Catt,  the  Rev.  Anna  Garlin  Spencer,  Miss  Maria 
Mitchell,  the  eminent  astronomer,  Mrs.  Isabella  Beecher 
Hooker,  Mrs.  May  Wright  Sewall,  Mrs.  M.  Louise 
Thomas ;  Mrs.  Ormiston  Chant,  Miss  Emily  Faithfull, 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  Stanton  Coit,  Mr.  John  A.  Hobson,  of 
England  ;  Dr.  Tamei  Kin,  of  China  ;  Prof.  Toyokichi 
Iyenaga,  of  Japan  ;  Dr.  Henry  W.  Bellows,  Prof,  and 
Mrs.  Felix  Adler,  Dr.  John  Graham  Brooks,  Henry  D. 
Lloyd,  Hon.  Chester  Holcombe,  David  Saville  Muzzey. 
There  have  been  many  others  whose  names  I  cannot 
now  recall. 

A  great  pleasure  enjoyed  by  the  mother  who  has 
her  own  home  is  that  of  having  with  her  her  children 
and  grand-children  on  occasions  which  will  be  pleasant 
for  them  to  remember  in  the  years  to  come.  On  Sunday 
of  the  week  in  which  this  last  chapter  is  written,  I  cele- 
brated my  84th  birthday,  April  2,  1905,  and  gathered 
about  me  the  members  of  my  immediate  family  to  the 
number  of  sixteen.  The  house  was  filled  with  flowers 
which  had  been  sent  by  relatives  and  friends,  the  long 
table  glowed  with  great  clusters  of  jonquils,  the  warm 
spring  sunshine  streamed  in  at  the  south  windows,  and 
life  to  me  never  seemed  more  bright  and  beautiful.  My 
younger  son  expressed  the  congratulations  and  loving 
wishes  of  the  family,  and  one  of  my  sons-in-law  a  tender 
tribute  to  the  mother-in-law.  Mrs.  Ida  Husted  Harper, 
who  had  been  my  guest  for  the  winter,  ended  her  own 
greetings  by  reading  the  following  letter  from  Miss  Susan 


EMMA  J.  BARTOL  317 


B.  Anthony  and  the  Rev.  Anna  Howard  Shaw,  whom  I 
had  expected  to  arrive  from  Florida  in  time  for  the  dinner : 

"Eighty-four  years  young!  Many  of  them  years 
of  unselfish  devotion  to  your  family ;  and  when  they  left 
the  home  nest  for  one  of  their  own,  then  the  same 
thought  and  care  to  others  who  needed  them  and  to 
causes  which  called  for  assistance.  What  a  blessing  to 
have  lived  eighty-four  years  if  they  have  been  useful  and 
helpful,  and  surely  whatever  else  you  may  feel  in  regard 
to  your  life,  you  cannot  but  feel  that  it  has  been  full  of 
usefulness  and  helpfulness. 

"You  have  done  so  much  to  enable  other  people 
to  have  a  little  easier  and  happier  life  and  to  make  many 
a  good  cause  run  more  smoothly.  It  is  a  great  privilege 
to  be  able  to  do  this,  and  it  is  a  grand  thing  to  have  the 
desire  to  do  it.  We  wish  to  send  our  word  of  gratitude 
for  what  you  have  done  for  us  personally.  We  want  to 
thank  you  for  your  splendid  example  of  growing  old 
happily  and  full  of  interest  in  the  world's  progress.  It 
is  a  help  to  those  who  have  kept  pace  with  you  in  years; 
it  is  an  inspiration  to  those  who  know  that  their  strong- 
est and  most  useful  days  lie  behind  them,  for  it  makes 
them  feel  that  those  still  remaing  may  be  a  benediction. 
"With  a  wish  that  you  may  have  many  more  of 
these  helpful  years,  and  with  sincere  gratitude  and 
affection,  we  are  faithfully  yours." 

A  feeling  of  pride  in  such  friends  may  be  pardoned. 
Looking  back  over  the  long  years   I   can  only  wish  that 


3I8  recollections  of  a  traveller 

the  harvest  of  their  sowing  had  been  more  abundant ; 
and  looking  cheerfully  forward  to  those  which  may  still 
remain  for  me,  my  hope  shall  be  to  make  them  more 
worth  the  living  than  any  which  have  preceded. 


ft 


